Red Flame
by Haley Earthstone
Summary: It's after the Li'l Diablo incident, but things aren't going okay. Kim's dealing with the emotional aftermath of that night, and Shego has vowed revenge on her. Global Justice has created a secret weapon to deal with her codenamed Firefly. What follows isn't what anyone expected. Lemons in future chapters, Kim x OC, Shego x Electronique. Rated M/MA.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 1 – Not Meant to Be**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Kim Possible used to think that balancing her globe-trotting teen hero lifestyle with her school life was hard. She used to think that fighting Shego had been hard, even if she enjoyed fighting the green-skinned woman. Not anymore. It was the Saturday after the prom – and the Saturday after one of the worst nights of her life. She was actually so bothered by what happened the day before that even though it was the middle of the day she was still in her pajams from the night before – and still in bed. In fact, she hadn't even moved except to go to the bathroom. Other than that, she just lay in her bed, the covers pulled over her, staring out her window. Her mom had come into her room a couple of hours ago and tried to talk to her, but after a quarter of an hour without Kim saying anything – or even reacting to her presence – she'd left. She'd heard her parents talking outside of her room, and heard her mom tell her dad to make sure that Jim and Tim – her twin younger brothers – didn't even think about bothering her right now.

Her behavior wasn't just due to that the first boy she'd really, truly liked had turned out to be a synthodrone. Nor was it just due to the fact that Drakken had played her so perfectly. And the fact that Drakken had kidnapped her dad as well as Shego's satisfaction at what had happened wasn't the sole cause, either. The dark satisfaction she'd felt of beating the older woman so completely, so decisively, by kicking her into an active (and short-circuiting) electrical tower wasn't the only reason for the way she was acting. Rather, it was all of them at once.

 _I'm not like this_ , she thought. _This isn't how Kim Possible is supposed to act._ She sniffed a bit. _I'm supposed to be the 'girl who can do anything,' after all. Dealing with all of this is supposed to be so_ not _the drama._ Tears gathered in her eyes. _But it is._ Drakken and Shego had hit every button she had, and had done it so well that she never saw it coming. And then when she'd gotten free she'd sunk down to their level. Sure, she'd saved the day, and Ron had gotten Drakken to finally say his name, but she felt like she'd lost. She was supposed to be the hero, the do-gooder; when she'd beaten Shego, though, she'd cast all that aside for revenge. When she'd fought the older woman, the only thing she'd wanted was to beat her once and for all. To prove that she, Shego, was nothing compared to _the_ Kim Possible. And she had. She'd proven that Kim Possible was better than Shego. But in doing so, she now felt that she'd lost what had made her . . . her.

And then there was Ron.

He'd been her best friend since pre-K. He'd been there throughout her whole life. When she'd gotten her braces locked in her first kiss, he'd been there. When she'd gone on her very first mission and defeated a supposedly impenetrable security system as a pre-teen, he'd been there. And he'd had her back from the very first moment she'd started truly becoming 'the girl who can do anything.' He'd been the best friend she'd ever had – and that's all she felt for him. Nothing romantic at all. She'd hoped to change that at the prom, when they'd danced together and she'd kissed him for the first time. But there'd been nothing at all. Nothing except a feeling of disappointment.

Right then, her kimmunicator went off.

 _"Hey, uh, Kim?"_ came Wade's voice.

"Go away," she mumbled. The kimmunicator's mic was sensitive enough to pick up her response.

 _"Kim . . . you can't hide in your room forever,"_ he told her.

"Why not?" she replied morosely. "You've been doing it for your whole life."

 _"I'm agoraphobic, Kim. You're not. This . . . this isn't_ you _."_

"How do you know?" she said, actually turning over to stare at the device. "Maybe this _is_ who I am, and it took what happened yesterday to bring it out."

 _"Do you know how disappointing this is to me? I may not have known you as long as Ron has, Kim, but in all the time I_ have _known you, I've looked up to you. I look at you, at the things you do, and I feel envious that I'm not like that. I may be a prodigy with technology and all that, but I'm too smart for my own good. I have more than enough intelligence and imagination to imagine some pretty horrific and terrible things that could happen to me outside of the one environment I can control that I'm afraid to leave. You knew that, even back when we first 'met' and you never judged me. You accepted me for who I was and never forced me to do anything I wasn't comfortable with. But now?"_ She heard him sigh. _"Now it's like you're not even Kim Possible anymore."_

"Damn it, Wade," she growled, actually shocking him by cursing. "I don't care, okay? I fell head-over-heels for a guy who turned out to be a synthodrone whose only purpose was to trick and distract me while Drakken nearly conquered the world, my arch-rival rubs it all in my face, and then without a second thought or a hint of remorse I kick her _fucking ass into something that could have killed her!_ And I _enjoyed_ it, Wade! _That_ isn't what _Kim Possible_ is supposed to be like!" She was yelling by the end, and was lucky that her family was out for a few more hours. She suddenly collapsed upon herself and slouched on her bed; which brought to her awareness the fact that she had been up on her knees. "I'm sorry, Wade," she said softly, staring down at her hands. "I didn't mean to go off on you like that. Nothing's been right since last night. Not even Ron and I."

 _"I-It's okay, Kim,"_ Wade said, taken aback by his friend's outburst but determined to be a friend still. _"I . . . I didn't mean to . . . to, well, judge you."_

"You didn't."

 _"It's just that . . . you and Ron are really the only friends I have that aren't strictly online. I don't want to lose that, but I also want to be a good friend to you. And speaking of Ron, he's been trying to get a hold of you."_

"I haven't been in a mood to talk," she grumbled, but not rudely.

 _"Aren't you two going out now?"_

"That's him and everyone else seems to think. All we did was show up to prom together, dance a bit, and share one meaningless kiss."

 _"Meaningless?"_

"I felt nothing from him, Wade," she pointed out. "Except for the fact that it was with Ron, and it was on the lips, I bascially had the same feelings that I'd get from kissing my mom or dad on the cheek." She shrugged, knowing he could see it with the kimmunicator's camera. "It was no big to me, and nowhere close to being even a little drama."

 _"He sees it differently, Kim. He loves you, you know."_

"And I love him. But I'm not _in_ love with him. He's my best friend, that's all. Nothing more and nothing less."

 _"You're going to have to let him know, then,"_ the boy genius told her. _"And soon before it gets too late to save your friendship."_

"Let him know I'll meet him at Bueno Nacho," she replied in a monotone. "Might as well do this now and get it over with."

 _Middleton, Bueno Nacho_

Ron and Rufus were sitting in their usual booth at Bueno Nacho with a Grande-sized naco in front of them. He'd come straight there after Wade had called him up and told him he'd finally gotten a hold of Kim. He thought something had sounded different about Wade, but he was too happy about seeing Kim again to pay any attention to it. As soon as he'd heard that Kim would meet him at their favorite restuarant, he'd shut off his kimmunicator and hurried over to Bueno Nacho. He and Rufus were actually on their _second_ grande naco.

"I thought Kim would've been here by now, buddy," Ron said, stuffing some of the naco into his mouth. Rufus chittered a response and the blond nodded. "Yeah, you're right. She did have to get ready. And she _did_ say she'd be here." Just then, the retuarant's door opened and Kim walked in. Ron saw her and waved her over. Again, he was too happy about seeing her to notice that something was very off with her. She walked over to the booth and sat down across from him. Not once had she looked at him but he didn't really notice. Rufus, however, did. The little naked mole rat could instantly tell something was wrong.

"You gonna get something, KP?" Ron asked.

"I'm just not hungry, Ron," she replied. "You go ahead."

"Sure thing," he agreed and dove into his naco. Rufus, as much as he liked eating the same foods his owner did, didn't join in. "You know, I was thinking, KP," Ron said around a mouthful of naco, "maybe when we're done here we could go see a movie or something."

"Ron," she began, but he kept right now on talking.

"We could go see a romance movie, or maybe a comedy," he went on, "but not an action one. I think yesterday was enough action for the weekend."

"Ron," she tried again.

"That whole Li'l Diablo thing was just sick-wrong! I mean, using the toys from kiddie meals to take over the world? Not right! But I finally got Drakken to say my name! Boo-yah! And you totally kicked Shego's butt! That was-"

"Ron!" Kim snapped, her emotional state causing her to lash out at her best friend harsher than she'd intended. He looked at her in shock, the rest of the naco stopped halfway to his mouth. "I'm sorry, Ron," she apologized, "but we need to talk."

"About what, KP?"

"About . . . us."

"We don't have to go see a movie, Kim. We can just hang out here, or at the mall." He smiled at her in what he probably thought was an endearing and romantic way, and added, "I'm so glad you're my girlfriend, Kim."

"That's what we need to talk about, Ron," she told him. "We're not . . . you never asked me out."

"Oh, man! I didn't know I was supposed to that!" he exclaimed. "I'll-"

"Ron! You're not listening!" She sighed and rubbed her face. "If you'd quit interrupting I could actually tell you what I'm trying to say." Looking at him, she found herself wishing that The Kiss hadn't happened. "Last night was the worst night of my life. I find out that the boy I'd been crushing on, the one who seemed perfect for me, was actually a synthodrone created by Drakken. For the only purpose of keeping me distracted from figuring out his scheme."

"But Kim-"

"Ron, please. Let me finish. You don't realize just what that did to me. It . . . it tore me up inside. And as far as kicking Shego's ass? That wasn't to stop her and Drakken. I only did it because I wanted to beat her, to . . . to punish her for what she'd helped Drakken do to me. I wanted revenge."

"But that isn't like you, KP."

"I know it isn't, and that's the point, Ron. I've been depressed about it ever since I got homee," she agreed. "And now for the part about us." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Ron . . . this isn't easy for me to say. I know we've been friends since pre-K, and that you've always had my back. You're goofy, funny, and in some strange way adorable. You're a great friend, Ron, and I know you were hoping things would be more, that we'd be . . . more."

"What are you saying, Kim?"

"Ron . . . I'm saying that we're not boyfriend and girlfriend, and that there won't be a chance for that to change. I love you, Ron, I do, but only as a friend. I don't care about you in that way."

"No, Kim," Ron said, disbelief in his voice. "You . . . you can't mean that."

"I do mean it, Ron," her voice sharper than she'd wanted but unable to take it back. "You're my best friend, and I don't want to hurt you, but I don't – can't – love you the way you want me to. I just don't see you that way. I'm sorry, Ron."

"You can't . . . you can't do this to us," he pleaded.

"There is no us, Stoppable, didn't you hear me? I'm not into guys in general, and you in particular." As soon as she'd said that, Kim realized it was one of the truest things she'd ever said. Her mind cast back over the last few years as Ron's face went slack. She'd crushed on more than a few boys – Josh Mankey and Brick Flagg being two of the more prominent ones – but those relationships had never really gone anywhere. She didn't really think about it at the time, either continuing her crushing or moving on to the next cute boy. Now she realized that it may have been due to the fact that she might not be straight. Abruptly Ron stood up, Rufus's squeal drawing her attention.

"I've got to go," he said flatly, though it was obvious that he was angry and upset. "C'mon, Rufus."

"Ron, wait," Kim said, standing up herself.

"No, Kim," he replied. "Ever since our freshman year, I've waited for you. I've waited for you to see me like all of those other guys you've crushed on. And now that it finally seemed to have happened . . . you're telling me you've never felt that way about me and never will. I've been your best friend ever since pre-K. When we got to highschool, I was hoping things would change. Would become more. I'm tired of waiting. I'm going now. Goodbye, Kim." And with that, he walked to the doors of Bueno Nacho and left, leaving Kim standing there staring after him, feeling as though her world had not only been turned upside down, but had also been yanked out from under her feet.

 _Classified Location, Global Justice Ultra-Max Prison "The Crate"_

Shego was pissed. It wasn't that she was in jail; she'd gotten used to being imprisoned after one of Drakken's schemes had been derailed. It was the fact that Kim Possible had so thoroughly kicked her ass. She wanted to put it down to Kimmie wearing that teched-up suit and her not being prepared for it and what it can do. She wanted to, but didn't. She thought she'd seen the teen's A-game already. If she had, then last night must've been her taking her game up to an A+. The battle suit had given the young redhead an edge, that was for sure, but it shouldn't have given her _that_ much of an edge.

"Damn it! How could I let her just do that to me?" Shego snarled, punching the wall of her cell. She'd have lit up, but the bracers on her arms prevented her from igniting her plasma. Pounding the wall again, she whirled around and walked back over to her bunk. The Crate, Global Justice's Ultra-Maximum Security Prison, was designed specifically to hold super-powered criminals as well as those villains who didn't have super powers but were classed by GJ as super villains. "When I get out of here, Princes," she said to herself, "you'll be lucky if I _don't_ cause any internal injuries." She sat down on her bunk and stared at the wall opposite her. _I wouldn't be in here if it weren't for Drakken's schemes always failing_ , she thought. _If he was even half as smart as he always claims he is, we would've already taken over the world by now. I'll admit his Li'l Diablo scheme_ nearly _succeeded. But this is it. I'm done with him. I don't care that he pays nearly as much as Clark Richard makes. I don't care that I'm basically free to come and go as I please unless he's working on some scheme. I'm fucking_ tired _of ending up in jail_ every time _his schemes fail. And it's either Kimmie stopping us, or her dumbass sidekick tripping the self-destruct._ Just then, she realized she was glowing. The astonished expression on her face slowly morphed into an evil and satisfied grin. _The bracers may prevent me from_ generating _plasma, but not from generating_ heat.

Closing her eyes and concentrating, she began generating a thermo-kinetic field around her forearms. She knew that as the bracers heated up to higher and higher temperatures until they overcame their melting point, they would severely burn her skin and that would hurt like hell. But the super boost given to her body's natural healing by the meteor would let her recover faster and without any scarring. She wasn't aware of the time, but after seemed like hours the bracers' hinges and locks melted enough that that they fell off her arms. For the whole time, as she had increased the heat, she hadn't made a single sound. Not even when the ceramic-metal composite of the bracer's began burning her. When they dropped off of her arms, she let out a sharp, pain-filled hiss that became a grown when she saw her arms.

 _No matter_ , she thought. _It's worth the pain._ Summoning her plasma, she blasted a hole in the wall. Or, rather, attempted to. The blast did damage the wall, and set off the alarms, but it wasn't holed. Concentrating, she clasped her hands together, extended her index fingers, and forced out a thin beam of plasma. It lanced from her fingers and into the wall. She watched as smoke rose from the beam's point of impact and kept pushing her power. After a few seconds, she heard a loud _crack!_ and saw no more smoke. Keeping her concentration steady, she carefully and quickly moved her hands around in a large circle. The cut section dropped the few millimeters down, but didn't fall in or out; what mattered, though, was that it wasn't connected to the rest of the wall. Shego ran at it and threw herself into it as hard as she could. Both the wall and herself fell out and down, but coming to a stop about two stories later. She knew, of course, that Drakken had also been taken to The Crate, and that he would expect her to get him out, too. She snorted, picked herself up and went to find the hanger.

Although she had to dodge Global Justice agents looking for her (she actually just wanted to get away this time; if she stopped to fight each team she saw, she'd get bogged down and then recaptured), she managed to make it to the hanger. Luck was with her again as not only was the hanger door open, but there was actually a jet prepping for take-off. There wasn't any cover between her position and the jet, so she'd have to act fast. Throwing caution to the wind, she dashed out towards the jet and began shooting plasma at any GJ agents she saw. The pilot of the jet saw her coming and tried to hurry up to take off. Not that it would've mattered, as she was more than qualified to operate any of the aircraft in the hanger. He failed to do more than finish up the take-off procedures before she vaulted into the cockpit feet first, knocking him out. Undoing his restraint harness and taking his helmet, Shego tossed the pilot out and strapped herself. Donning the helmet, she advanced the jet's throttles to their stops and rocketed out of the hanger. Patched into the GJ frequency, she found herself laughing at their alarm and dismay.

Once she was out of visual range of the prison complex, she shut off the jet's transponders, radars, and every piece of equipment that would actively transmit, then dropped down to just three feet above the surface of the water and carefully altered her course. She would only use the jet until she reached land, where she would ditch it and find an alternate means of transportation. Then she planned on going to one of Drakken's many lairs and getting one of her spare catsuits. _And after that_ , she thought, _I'll beginning planning my revenge agains you, Kimmie._

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Once again, Kim found herself in her room. Only this time, she was truly depressed. Perhaps more so than before. Ron's response to what she'd said had been completely unexpected and heartbreaking. She'd thought . . . she didn't know what she'd thought. She'd hoped that he would at least be a little supportive, if only because they'd been friends for so long and he'd want to understand why she had decided that. It had never occurred to her that he'd reject her, and then abandon her. Well, he hadn't exactly abandoned her; he'd just walked out on her after she'd admitted what was in her heart and never looked back. Even now, three hours after that ill-fated conversation, she hadn't heard from him. Her kimmunicator had gone off quite a few times since she'd somehow stumbled back home and went to her room. Right now she was curled up on her bed in a fetal position, hugging her legs to her; she'd been that way since she'd gotten home. She'd heard her family come back, but hadn't reacted to it. Her mom had come up to check on her, and when she'd asked if everything was alright Kim had just burst into tears. Ann Possible had sat down on her daughter's bed and done her best to comfort her, but to no avail.

Staring at one of the wall's of her room but not seeing it at all, Kim tried to shake herself out of the funk she was in, but nothing was working. Of course, she wasn't really trying that hard because she had no energy to try at all. She dreaded going to school on Monday. Pretty much the whole student body believed she was going out with Ron, though she knew that very few would even care whether or not she continued. Bonnie would definitely rub it in her face either way. But even the thought of that didn't pique her interest. She also dreaded seeing Ron in school on Monday after what had happened. She was certain that she wouldn't see him over the rest of the weekend at all. She heard someone come into her room but didn't care enough to look.

"Kimmie?" she heard her mom say. She didn't respond. She did, however, feel the bed shift slightly as her mom sat down, and felt her hand come to rest on her.

"Kimmie?" Ann Possible repeated. "Please answer me." Kim didn't say anything, and heard her mom sigh. "Kim, we're worried about you. You haven't come down at all since you got home last night. Except for when I come up here to check on you, no one's seen you. Did something happen at the prom?" No response, not even a twitch. "Is everything okay between you and Ronald?"

"I told Ron I only liked him as a friend and that I was gay," Kim said so softly that Ann wasn't sure she'd heard her.

"You're gay," her mom repeated

"Not like it matters," the teen mumbled.

"Of course it does," Ann replied soothingly. "Your father and I may not understand right now, but I want you to know that we will accept you no matter what. I promise you that it doesn't matter whether the person you love is a boy, a girl, gender-fluid, or whatever; only that you find someone _you_ love and who loves you back." Then something occurred to the elder Possible woman. "When you did you tell Ron this?"

"Today. I met him at Bueno Nacho earlier while you guys were gone. I don't remember getting back here, though." A sigh escaped the girl. "He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"You don't know that, Kimmie. You and Ron have been friends for a long time. I'm sure that if you give him some time he'll come around." No response from her daughter this time. Ann sighed, and gave her daughter a loving pat. "Just give him some time." Then she got up and left her daughter's room. Kim just continued to lay there, even as her kimmunicator went off again. _It doesn't matter_ , she thought. _It doesn't matter because everything's changing and my world is falling apart._

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice Headquarters_

Doctor Isabella Shaw sat in her office at Global Justice's HQ. As head of the Global Justice Advanced Research and Development Division (GJARADD, or "Arid-2"), she had the unenviable responsibility of not only running and reporting on her own projects, but those of the entire division as well. She did have a staff to assist her, of course, but she had to go over _their_ reports in order to ensure no mistakes. Which meant comparing those reports to the ones that had been submitted to them. It wasn't an easy job, of course, but she had expected that when she'd joined Global Justice roughly 17 years ago. Sighing in exasperation, she leaned back into her chair and stared at the ceiling. Things hadn't been the same since she'd divorced her husband, Robert Gibbs, and ended up losing everything. She'd lost her old job, her home, and custody of her kids. Her ex-husband had successfully prosecuted a campaign against her that painted her as an unfit mother and wife. After the divorce, she'd left Go City and moved to Upperton, where – fortunately for her – she'd run into her old college roommate and girlfriend (although that was after roughly a week of being in Upperton and unsuccessfully looking for a job). They'd talked for a couple of hours, reminiscing about old times, and catching each other up on their lives.

A smile graced Isabella's still-beautiful face as she said, "And if it wasn't for you, Elizabeth Director, I'd probably be working as a waitress or something in Upperton instead of now being in charge of an advanced research division within a world-wide law enforcement agency." Knowing that her reports wouldn't write themselves, she sat forward again with a groan. As her gaze swept across her desk, her attention fell on one of the few framed photos she kept on it (the majority being on the walls of her office). It was a photo of her and her family (sans her ex-husband). One of the last they'd had taken together before the divorce. In it was, of course, herself, but also her oldest son Harvey, her only daughter Samantha, their younger brother Mark, and her youngest children, the twins Walter and Westly. The last time they'd been a family. As part of the divorce, she'd lost the right to see her children. In spite of the sadness, she smiled at the photo of her children. Her smile widened as her eyes fell upon another photo on her desk. This one was of her standing next to what looked a 10-year-old girl who looked like a younger version of herself; except the girl had black hair that shimmered red in the light, paler skin, and reddish-orange eyes. Then there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said as pulled her gaze away from the photo. The door opened, and in walked a teenaged version of the girl in the photo she'd just been looking at. Which wasn't surprising considering they were the same person. What was surprising was that while the girl now before her looked like a 16-year-old teenager, the photo of her 10-year-old self had only been taken two years ago. "Rebecca," she said, standing up and coming around to hug the girl.

"You weren't at home, mom," Rebecca Shaw replied, returning the hug. "Working late again?"

"Not much of a choice, Firefly," Isabella told her, stepping back a bit. "I have a lot of reports to go through."

"It's been over an hour since you'd said you be home." Isabella had a rather expansive suite in GJHQ.

"I'm sorry, dear. Have you eaten yet?"

"Nothing more than a snack. I was waiting for you to have dinner."

"Well, let me save my work and then we'll go get something to eat."

"Okay." As Isabella walked around her desk again, her daughter asked, "What were you working on?"

"When you came in?" the raven-haired woman asked. "I was actually typing up a report on my personal project."

"You mean me, right?" Rebecca Shaw said with an innocent and endearing smile. Both she and her mother knew what she really was and what she was capable of. But because she'd been raised completely within the GJARADD's facilities within GJHQ, she was actually rather innocent of the outside world – in spite of having access to both internet- and satellite-based resources.

"Yes, dear," her mom said with a chuckle. She saved her work and then locked her computer behind a series of surprisingly powerful firewalls before severing its connection to the GJ mainframe. "Now," she added as she stood up, "let's go get dinner."

"Will mother be joining us?" the young woman asked.

"Probably not tonight. If anything, she probably has far more to deal with than I do."

In a different part of GJHQ, Elizabeth Director was also staring at her computer. But whereas Isabella Shaw had been studying genetics and technical reports, Betty was looking at a report she'd just received from the Officer-in-Charge of the Global Justice Ultra-Maximum Security Complex, known world-wide as The Crate.

"Damn," she said as she finished it. The report, when boiled down to the utmost basics, essentially said that Shego had escaped from The Crate, causing minor structural damage in the process, then stole a GJ aircraft – which had subsequently been found, abandoned, at an airport in Guam. Rubbing her remaining eye, she let out a frustrated sigh. What surprised her about the report was that _Drakken_ was still imprisoned at The Crate. Shego my have broken out, but she'd left her employer behind. _Which doesn't bode well_ , she thought. Shego with Drakken was threatening but predictable. Shego _without_ Drakken, on the other hand, would be nowhere near predictable. And considering what had happened to land the super-powered woman in The Crate instead of a 'normal' maximum security prison, Doctor Director had absolutely no doubts that while she would be aggressive and chaotic, the only predictable thing about Shego would be her going after Kim Possible. Closing her eye in thought, she reluctantly came to a decision a moment later. Picking up the internal line phone on her desk she said, "Put me through to Doctor Shaw."

 _"I'm sorry, Doctor Director, but Doctor Shaw has left for the day,"_ came the voice of someone from the GJARADD a moment later. _"She and her daughter went to the cafeteria, I believe."_

"Then have her report to my office as soon as they're finished eating," she said. Setting the phone back in its cradle, she looked up at her door and said, "Just enter, Du." She could sense the pause at the door before the knob turned and Agent William Du walked in. Though young compared to her, he had proven himself time and again as one of her most capable agents.

"It never ceases to amaze me how you can tell who's outside your office," he said as he came in and shut the door. "Have you seen the report from The Crate."

"I just finished reading it," she replied. "We'll need to get in touch with Kim Possible."

"I'm afraid that may be impossible, Doctor."

"Explain."

"I've been in touch with her tech support, Wade Load, and he says she hasn't responded to her . . . kimmunicator . . . all day."

"Is something wrong, then?"

"He wouldn't say, although he has confirmed – via contact with Miss Possible's mother – that she _is_ at home."

"We'll have to worry about her later, then," Betty said reluctantly.

"With all due respect, ma'am, we need Kim Possible. She's the only one who can stand against Shego."

"I believe that Kimberly may be temporarily unavailable for now."

"We can't take down Shego without her."

"Will, we _do_ have a means of dealing with Shego other than relying on Kim Possible." She sighed, and in her next words Will heard a great deal of reluctance. "I'm going to formally activate Project Firefly.

 **E/N:** And there it is. The first chapter of a brand-new story. Kim seems to be in a deep depression now, after confessing to Ron that she isn't going to be his girlfriend. She also seems to be dealing with the guilt and emotional trauma of the Li'l Diablo incident, though not very well. Shego's just broken out of the most secure prison in the world, and is out to take revenge on Kim Possible.

And exactly who – or what – is Rebecca Shaw? Is she really Isabella's daughter, or is there something more going on here? What is Project Firefly? Will Kim recover and go back to saving the world again? These questions and more will be answered in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Shadows of a Broken Soul."


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 2 – Shadows of a Broken Soul**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

School hadn't been as bad as Kim had thought it would be. That is, if she had noticed what was going on around her. While she did hear the teachers, and did her work like she always had, it was more out of routine and habit now than out of a desire to learn and gain knowledge. Bonnie had, of course, tried to get her irritated and pissed off; Kim didn't even notice her. That bothered the brunette to no end and she got even more nasty and venomous. And while everyone else heard what she was saying, Kim didn't even hear a single word. Lost in her world of sorrow, despair, and depression, nothing like that mattered anymore. At the end of the day, after a particularly nasty comment from Bonnie, Kim simply turned her empty-eyed gaze upon the other girl and said, "Do whatever you want, Bonnie. I'm done." Then she turned back around and walked away.

Now she was at home, back in her room. Her homework had been done, and while she knew she got all of the answers right, she couldn't summon any bit of enthusiasm or satisfaction. She hadn't moved away from her desk since she'd finished; just sat there staring at its surface. One thing about today that had impressed itself upon her awareness in spite of (or perhaps because of) her increasing descent into despair and depression was the absence of Ron. A sigh escaped her at the thought of her best friend, and tears began welling in her eyes. She'd only tried to be honest with him, and hadn't meant to snap at him, but her feelings of guilt and despair over what she'd done to Shego had combined with her frustration over his inability to understand.

 _Maybe_ , she thought without hope, _he's just sick. Too . . . too much Bueno Nacho or something._ Kim didn't believe herself, however. Just then, she heard the phone ring a couple of times before someone answered it; she had no energy to do so, and it was probably her mom who had picked it up. Her dad was at the Middleton Science Center today, and her brothers were – for once – being quiet.

"Kim!" her mom called. "Come down here!" Without even a groan, Kim picked herself out of her desk chair and made her way downstairs. She had a very faint glimmer of hope that it was Ron, but the dark cloud she was under quashed even that small bit of positivity. When she'd gotten down to where her mom was at, she saw her hanging up the phone.

"That was Bonnie," Ann said, turning to look at her daughter.

"Bonnie?" Kim echoed, blinking, trying to wrap her mind around that bit of information.

"The girl from your cheer squad," her mom elaborated, her concern for her daughter evident. "She's coming by in a few minutes, said she wanted to take you to the mall to talk or shop or something like that."

"Bonnie?" the teen repeated, her mind even more blank from confusion. Her world had already been flipped upside down; now it was doing a 360.

 _Colorado Rockies, Lair #254-B/3_

Shego stormed through one of Drakken's lairs. It was only a 'back up' lair, one of many the blue-skinned mad scientist had purchased and outfitted as a contingency just in case of an emergency. It was equipped pretty much like all of Drakken's lairs: central 'evil genius' space, a couple of labs, a barracks for any required henchmen, security measures that included (for some reason) easily escapable death traps, quarters for Drakken, and _private_ quarters for Shego. There was also a fully-equipped exercise/gym room that the henchmen would be allowed to use but had really been included for Shego.

As the green-skinned woman stalked through what would now be _her_ lair, she stripped out of the black-and-green leather jumpsuit she'd been wearing as she made her way to her quarters. The motorcycle she'd ridden in on – along with the lime green with black flames helmet she'd worn – was in the lair's garage/hanger along with one of Drakken's personally-designed hovercrafts (one of the _few_ inventions the evil 'genius' had actually managed to make that also worked like it was supposed to. Shego kept on the black bra and panties she'd also purchased until she'd entered her room and locked the door after it sealed shut; even though she was the only one in the lair, and didn't have an aversion to being nude when she was alone or with a date, but right now she was too angry to be comfortable. It had taken her longer than it should have to get here, and that meant she had to wait longer to begin planning her revenge on Kim Possible.

"Fuck!" Shego snarled, stripping out of her undergarments as she went through her room to the expansive bathroom in it. She yanked open the door to the walk-in shower Drakken had included (probably to appease her for one reason or another) and turned on the hot water as high as it would go. Considering that, for this lab, Drakken had actually set up (or had set up) an environmentally-friendly geothermal power system, that meant the water could get pretty hot. The plasma-powered villainess let out a satisfied groan as the scalding hot water washed over, relaxing her in a way even her plasma powers couldn't. She could feel the tension leaving her body. After washing herself up, she decided to take advantage of the fact the she was the only one in the lair. Slipping into a dark green silk robe with black trim, she went to the lair's cafeteria and brewed herself up some coffee. Then she went into the control room and sat down in Drakken's/her chair to enjoy her coffee – and the peace and quiet.

"Aaaah," she said, after savoring that first delightful sip. "At least Doctor D had _some_ sense; he made sure to stock his lairs with _actual_ coffee." Taking another, longer sip, she let out a sigh and then set her mug down on the console. "Now," she went on, fully aware she was talking to herself but not caring, "it's time to get down to the business of making sure that little red-haired bitch gets what's coming to her. The thing is . . . I have no idea how to do it." Her hand went to her chin and she rubbed it thought. "I know that Princess can't be that good all of the time; otherwise Drakken and I would never have escaped as often as we did – no thanks to him. So that night on top of that tower has to be the only time she's kicked my ass like that – but once is one time too many." Growling a bit, she activated the lair's computer system and began searching the In-Terror-Net as well as the various news outlets for the latest on her target. She was shocked to learn that, in spite of many of her 'colleagues' committing various crimes that caught international attention, Kim Possible was nowhere to be seen. "What the hell?" she muttered. In all cases, Global Justice had been dispatched to bring the villain to justice, but only after light to moderate property damage and civilian injury. One headline seemed to have been picked up by every major news outlet: **WHERE IS KIM POSSIBLE?** _Indeed_ , Shego thought, _where is that little Cupcake?_ She shrugged. _She's probably still in Middleton, then, if she isn't responding to calls for help. But why isn't she? She's such a goody-goody that she can't help herself._ Then her eyes widened. _Unless . . . that's_ it _! She's such a goody-goody that what happened at the Bueno Nacho headquarters must really be doing a number on her!Ha-HA!_

"Oh that is rich," she said out loud, chuckling sinisterly. "Everyone's _favorite_ hero, little miss perfect, is afraid of her own darkness!" Still chuckling, she shook her head. "I imagine she's feeling guilty and maybe even a little depressed." Her glee faded a little. "I know I was a bit when I discovered my own dark side. But unlike little Kimmie, I soon accepted the knowledge and reveled in it. And soon thereafter found my true calling." Another memory came upon her, and her mirth vanished completely. "I just wish Ellen hadn't had to pay the price for my persistance in trying to be someone I wasn't. She was the only one to understand me, to see the real me – even if I didn't. But I just _had_ to do what my big brother said. I lost my girlfriend, my self-respect, and . . . everything." Then, as she kept reminiscing about her past, her eyes widened as a realization stole over her.

"That's it," she said softly, a not-so-friendly grin coming onto her face. "That's it!" she shouted laughing in sinister glee. Springing to her feet, she dashed back to her room where – after taking off her robe, she slipped into her trademark black-and-green catsuit. As she made her way to the hanger level, Shego did have – for a moment – second thoughts about her plan. _I just hope she'll listen_ , she thought. _After all, I was still with Team Go when they brought down Electronique and imprisoned her._

 _Middleton, Middleton Mall_

Between the guilt and despair over what happened on that tower, the heart-wrenching sorrow that Ron's reaction had given her, and now the shock and confusion of Bonnie's actions had left Kim Possible in a state of unreality. Bonnie had gotten her on again/off again boyfriend, Brick Flagg, to drive her and Kim to the mall. Once there, she told him to leave and then took the dazed and out of sorts redhead to the foodcourt. Leading her to a table, Bonnie made her sit down then left. When she came back, she set a salad and a drink in front of Kim before sitting down herself."

"Alright, Possible, what's going on?" Bonnie said, sitting down across from her and sipping her own drink.

"Huh? What?" Kim asked, shaking her head a bit in an attempt to clear her mind.

"Focus, Kim," the brunette said, only a little cross, and snapped her fingers in front of the other girl's face. "What's going on?"

"Why do you care, Bonnie?" Kim replied listlessly. "We're not friends. You don't even like me."

"That's true, Kim," she agreed. "But I'm not doing this out of a sudden desire to be your friend."

"Then why?"

"The truth? I want to prove that I'm better than you, _especially_ on the cheer squad," Bonnie told her. "Before you came along, I was the best on the squad as well as the squad captain. I still believe that. I may be a bitch, especially to you, but it'd be too easy right now to best you." The look she gave Kim wasn't any of her usual ones, but it wasn't exactly concern, either. "So what's going on?"

"Fine, okay," Kim said, too worn out to argue. "The night of that robot invasion I was doing my usual 'save the world' thing . . . and I nearly killed one of the villains." That made Bonnie nearly choke on her drink. "I was . . . I was so angry and . . . hurt that I . . . that I just . . . lost control of myself. I'm sure you remember Erik. Turned out he wasn't a real person at all; just a fake that was only meant to distract me and hurt me so I wouldn't try to stop his plan." She sent what should have been a glare, but only came out as forlorn.

"So you're feeling . . . what? Guilty?" As she asked that, Bonnie realized it was true. Kim had always been one to do the right thing, the one to help people out. She was a straight arrow. And for her to find that she actually had the capacity to do that . . . The brunette actually felt a pang of sympathy for her rival.

"It's not just that," Kim admitted softly, finally focusing on the salad and drink in front of her. She reached and, a bit mechanically, began eating. "I tried to kill her on purpose."

"Who?"

"Shego. The woman in green with plasma powers."

"Oh."

"I didn't have to kick her into that electrical tower . . . but I did anyway. She had been partially responsible for the pain I was feeling. About Erik not . . . being real." She sighed and set her fork down. "I'm sure you remember the junior prom on Friday."

"Trust me, I do," Bonnie replied dryly.

"Well, and I don't care what you think, Ron and I had our first kiss then. I didn't feel anything from it. Met with him the next day. Tried to explain to him that we weren't going to be dating. He . . . didn't take it well."

"Big surprise. He really isn't datable material."

"I've known him all my life. Never really had a romantic interest in him. And in spite of all of the crushes I've had, I realized I've always been-"

"-a lesbian," Bonnie finished. _That_ got a real response from Kim; she looked at her rival in wide-eyed surprise. "Oh, come on, Kim," she scoffed. "It was obvious from the beginning." Bonnie set her elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting her chin on her closed hands. "So? Do you think I'm hot?"

"Huh-wha?" Kim stammered, bringing a chuckle from the other teen.

"Don't get me wrong, Kim. I don't like you as friend, and _definitely_ not _that_ way. I'm just curious about your assessment."

"You're confusing me, Bonnie."

"Look, I'm only trying to help you so things can back to what they used to be."

"It won't happen, Bonnie." She took a breath and sighed. "I just don't have any interest in cheerleading anymore. I don't even have any interest in doing my 'saving-the-world' thing. I'll inform the squad at the next practice, but I'm quitting. And I'll be nominating you as the new squad captain." She stood up, only barely registering Bonnie's stunned surprise. "I appreciate what you tried to do, especially since we've never liked each other in any way, but I'm afraid it didn't work. 'A' for effort, though. And . . . thanks for the salad, too." To both girls' surprise, Kim had actually eaten the whole thing while they'd been talking. "I'm going to walk home now. As strange as you may think this is, Bonnie, I trust you to do the right thing with squad. Maybe now you can do what you've always said; that you'd be a better squad captain than me." The redhead smiled wanely and walked away, leaving being a surprised and uncertain Bonnie Rockwaller.

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice Headquarters – Four days later_

"Hey, mother!" Rebecca said happily as she and Isabella entered the office of Elizabeth Director. The one-eyed leader of Global Justice sighed and looked at the teenager.

"Rebecca, we're on-duty, remember?" Betty said with a reproving smile.

"Sorry, mother," the ivory-toned teen said without a trace of regret – as evidenced by the sardonic smile on her face. Shaking her head, Betty waved her wife and daughter to the two chairs before her desk.

"Isabella," she said, staring at her wife of 12 years, "I'm activating Project Firefly."

"She isn't ready," the raven-haired woman said softly, looking over at Rebecca.

"Your reports indicate that she's well on her way. And she _is_ right here." Betty looked right at her adoptive daughter. "What do you think, Rebecca? Do you feel you're ready?

"Um, well, I-I don't know," the red/black-haired girl said, a bit nervous. "I mean, I've got good control of my powers, and I have knowledge of a variety of styles. I've practiced as often as I can."

"And you've done very well, dear," Isabella said with a warm smile. Some of its warmth vanished as she looked back to her wife. "I thought there would be more time?"

"Something came up over the weekend."

"That was four days ago," the other woman said, one eyebrow arched in the particular way that indicated moderate disapproval.

"I am aware of that fact," Betty replied. "Shego escaped from The Crate."

"Isn't she the source material for Rebecca?"

"Yes. And as we know from watching our daughter, as well as the information I'm sure you studied, Shego is highly dangerous."

"But _I_ would never hurt anyone," the teen declared. "Not if there was any other way."

"We know, dear," Betty said, smiling. "I am surprised, though, that you don't seem bothered or upset about the fact that you're a fast-grown clone of a super-powered villain."

"Well, it _does_ throw a girl for a loop," she agreed, smiling at her mothers' laughter. "It's like mom says," she added, looking at Isabella, "'the circumstances of a person's birth aren't what's important; it's what they do with their life that matters.'"

"That does sound like her."

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca went on. "I did have moments, though, where I wondered if I was just a copy, a way for Global Justice to have a 'good version' of Shego." She looked at Betty and smiled. "But then I figured, 'so what?' Just because I was cloned from her doesn't make a duplicate. After all, my life's gone differently than hers, even if it's been shorter. _I'm_ different than her. But . . ."

"What is it, Rebecca?" Betty asked.

"Well . . . sometimes I just wish I could experience a 'normal' life, you know? Not that I don't enjoy being here," she hastened to add, "it's just that I . . . well . . ."

"You feel like you're missing out on something," Isabella finishing for her.

"Yeah."

"That may be addressed now that I'm activating Project Firefly," the one-eyed woman said. When they had their attention back on her, Betty continued. "As you yourselves have noted, Rebecca is fairly well-trained already. However, she doesn't have practical knowledge or application of her skills, since there isn't anyone currently in GJ that has her level of skill. Also, if Rebecca is to be not only what we need her to be but also her own person, she actually _needs_ to experience the world itself, and not just through satellite broadcasts and the internet."

"You're hedging, Betts," Isabella said. "What is it that you're trying not to say?" She held up a hand to forestall a comment. "You have raised valid points, as both the head of Global Justice and as a mother, but you're actually refraining from saying something that makes you uncomfortable."

"It's . . . it more than makes me uncomfortable, my love," Betty said, looking away as though ashamed. "It's a secret that I've kept, and . . . I never said anything about it before since it tied in so closely with your life before . . . us."

"You've kept a secret from me," Isabella said. It wasn't a question, but as Betty went to respond her wife reached out and took her hand. "I won't deny it hurts to hear you say that, but I also know that you promised me the only way you'd keep something from me is if you truly believed that telling me would cause me more pain than knowing it." They looked into each others' eyes. "I'm sure that this secret will likely engender some angry silences and terse conversations between us after its revelation, but no matter what it is . . . it won't change my love for you."

"I don't deserve you," Betty told her, her one good eye filling with tears.

"That's true, but you've got me anyway. Now, spill."

"I know you miss the family you had before," her wife said, "except for that asshole of an ex-husband you had. You know the resources Global Justice has at its disposal, and what we'll do to get whatever information we need to fulfill our charter. And you know about the rise of the super-powered team of heroes calling itself Team Go."

"Based in Go City, of course."

"Its members are Hego, Mego, and Wego, though during their early years they had another member, Shego."

"I may have never left here after first arriving, but I haven't been living under a rock, dear."

"Global Justice did some . . . thorough . . . investigaton into Team Go's origins," Betty went on, apprenhension evident in her voice, face, and posture. "About three years before their first appearance, and a little over a year after your divorce, a meteor impacted in Go City. It impacted on your ex-husband's property. He wasn't at home at the time, but your kids were. They were, apparently, in a tree house in the backyard." As shocked realization made its slow way onto Isabella's face, her wife dropped the bombshell. "Your sons and daughter – Harvey, Samantha, Mark, Walter, and Westly became Team Go. Samantah is Shego, and our daughter Rebecca – Project Firefly – was originally created to give Global Justice a chance to engage Shego on equal footing." Betty's features became awash in despair as Isabella's turned into horrified disbelief. "Rebecca is cloned purely from Samantha's meteor-altered DNA, her power spectrum-altered from Shego's green plasma to red plasma."

The look of betrayal and pain on the two faces before her threatened to break Betty's heart and fracture her soul.

 _Go City, Go City Maximum Security (Specialized) Prison_

Shego had arrived in Go City three days ago, but hadn't put her plan into action until tonight for one simple reason: she hadn't had a real plan before arriving. Her only 'plan' was to bust Electronique out of prison and – somehow – convince her to forget her own plans for revenge to help Shego with her own. _It won't be easy_ , the green-skinned woman thought as she watched the prison guards below her. _After all, I_ am _the main reason Ellen's behind bars in the first place. I'll be lucky if she doesn't try to kill me before listening to me._ She'd spent her entire time in Go City prepping for tonight: laying the groundwork for escape routes, visiting the prison at night to study the guards' patrol patterns to get her timing right, infiltrating the prison in order to learn its security measures. She'd even broken into the city records office and copied every single floor plan available on the prison complex – without leaving even a trace that she'd been there. And now was the time. She knew that she couldn't wait any longer, since it would take time to plan for her revenge on Kim Possible. Such a plan would require someone capable of long-term planning; Shego was no slouch in that department when it came to finances and getting what she wanted, but a full-fledged revenge scheme wasn't something she had experience with. And her theory was that Ellen's seven years behind bars would've given _her_ that experience, at least.

"No time like the present," Shego (aka Samantha Gibbs) whispered. She sprang off the roof of the building she'd been perched on and did a swan dive towards one of the outer guard towers. She'd practiced this during her infilration runs with success and tonight was no different. As soon as her hands touched the rather tall tower's roof, but before her full weight could come to rest on it, she sprang off in a somersault she knew would have land in a roll on the outer building's roof. Recovering without losing a beat, the villainess sprinted to the roof's edge and leaped off onto the next roof. Once there, she began moving much more slowly. According to the information she'd stolen from the warden's office, Elecronique's cell would be located in the prison's ultra-secure wing. _Bingo_ , she thought as she reached the exact position of her ex-girlfriend's cell. Securing a climbing rope to the roof, she flipped over the side and spun around so she was facing the wall as she swung back. Catching herself before hitting the wall, she peeked into the cell. Sure enough, the gray-skinned woman was in the cell, asleep on her bunk. Grinning snarkily, Shego held up one of her hands and lit up one finger; she was going to do something she hadn't done since they'd broken up. Using her plasma-covered finger, she cut a circular hole in the 'bullet-proof' glass of the cell's window and slipped her hand through it. With her lit finger, she squinted one eye, aimed, and shot of a low-powered burst of plasma. It was extemely low as far as kinetic energy went, and was barely warmer than a normal person's body temp; but it was just enough of both to that it would act as a plasma version of a 'wet willie.' Sure enough, as she'd expected, the small burst of low plasma hit Electronique right in her ear.

"What the fuck!" she shouted, coming awake – and banging her head on the empty bunk above her. "Ow! Son of a fucking bitch-ass motherfucker!" Swinging out of her bunk, the gray-haired villainess rubbed her forehead where she'd banged it on the bunk. Then she stopped, and her eyes widened as she remembered the last time she'd had a 'plasma willie.' Right as that memory hit her, a familiar chuckle sounded – from _outside_ the cell. Snapping her gaze to the window, she saw the last person she'd ever expected to see, the reason for her imprisonment: Shego.

"You fucking bitch!" she snarled, moving furiously over to the window. "You've got some fuckin' nerve showing up here!"

"You used to like that nerve, Ellen," Shego said, still smirking.

"Don't talk to me like that! You don't deserve to after what you've done to me!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yadda, yadda, yadda," the other woman said in bored tone. "You do realize that I can't hang here forever without getting discovered, don't you?"

"Now that you mention it, maybe I'll keep you here longer. Maybe when you're caught conversing with a prisoner, after breaking into a prison, they'll throw your goody-goody traitorous ass in here _with_ me," Electronique said.

"Been in prison before, you dumb ass.

"Huh?" _That_ news was a revelation to her.

"I went evil, bitch. Shortly after I put your ass _in_ prison. Couldn't take it anymore. What I did to you finished everything for me."

"So . . . you think confessing to me that you became evil and then apologizing to me will even things between us? You betrayed me, Samantha! I loved you, and you turned on me!"

"I know," she replied quietly. "And I didn't come here to confess _or_ apologize. I came here because I knew you'd have been planning your revenge on me, and I need your help."

"My help? You come here wanting _my_ help?"

"After what I did to you?" Shego said, preempting her ex's response. "Yeah, I did. I want to exact my own revenge. On a certain redheaded teen hero who just about killed me almost a week ago by kicking me into an electrical tower."

"Well, fuck," Electronique said, stunned by that.

"I'm offering to break you out of here so I can get _my_ revenge. I've already stolen your power suit for you."

"And what about _my_ revenge?"

"A truce for now. After I've gotten my revenge, we part ways. _Then_ you can go about achieving your revenge."

To her credit, Electronique actually thought about that for a moment. Then she reached out a hand through the hole Shego had made. The other villainess grabbed it and they shook once.

"So what's the plan now?"

"I'm gonna head back up to the roof and use my plasma to cut a hole into your cell. Then I'll drop in this rope and get you out. After that I'll call in a hovercraft I stole from my ex-employer so we can leave. My entrance was quiet, but our exit will be with a bang."

 _Somewhere in Japan, Yamanouchi Ninja School_

It had been about five days since Ron Stoppable had left Middleton and the US. He'd told his parents that he was going to Japan as part of an exchange program. Fortunately for him, right after he'd said that the phone had rang; on the phone was someone who had confirmed his story. His parents were surprised at the extremely short notice of everything, but Ron said that he hadn't expected to be accepted for it. When they'd gotten to that airport, they found two people waiting for them. One, a young man, introduced himself as Hirotaka and said that he was the Japanese exchange student. He apologized for the short notice of it, but explained that the day before the American who had originally been meant to go had canceled and it had taken most of the intervening time to readdress the visas and permits. The young woman with him introduced herself as Yori, and said that was Hirotaka's sister and was to be Ron's escort and guide for the entirety of his stay.

And now here he was, at the Yamanouchi school, attempting to meditate.

"Ron- _san_ , you are not well?" came a voice from beside him. Sighing, he opened his eyes and looked over to see Yori standing a respectful distance away.

"Physically, yes," he said.

"I can sense a . . . disturbance in your aura," she said. "I believe it is affecting your center and thus preventing you from achieving balance."

"It has to do with why I'm here."

"Master Sensei thought as much, though he has kept his knowledge on this issue to himself, out of respect to you, Ron- _san_."

"Is it because I'm the Mystical Monkey Master?" he asked. "Or supposed to be, at any rate."

"I do not think so, but it is not my place to guess Master Sensei's intentions. It would be my honor, Stoppable- _san_ , to listen if you wished to explain what troubles your soul."

"It's. . . it's Kim," he admitted. He saw Yori's face darken a little, and hurried to explain. "We went to junior prom together, after stopping Drakken's plan to take over the world."

"You are referring to the incident with the nano-tech based robots secreted into the children's food meals of the Bueno Nacho restuarant chain?"

"Um, uh, yeah, that's right." He sighed. "I really thought Kim and I had had a breakthrough in our relationship, that we'd . . . we'd become closer. We shared a kiss that night that just . . . I don't know. Made everything seem right, I guess. But the next day . . . the next day we met at Bueno Nacho and she said that nothing was going to change between us. That we were only friends and that's how things would stay."

"Stoppable- _san_ ," Yori said, coming closer and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes remaining friends is the best choice in a situation where there are not any good choices."

"You don't get it, Yori," he replied. "I _love_ Kim. But she doesn't love me, not in the same way, and said she never will. That she won't feel that way about any guys. _Including_ me."

"Such a thing is not unusual in my experience, Ron- _san_ ," the female ninja said, surprising Ron. At his expression, she continued. "It is not uncommon for women to prefer the intimate company of other woman, nor for men to prefer the same with other men. It is not common, either, nor is it really talked about. It is between the two people involved, and is not of concern to anyone outside of that relationship unless it impacts those individuals in some way."

"But _Kim_ liking girls? As in _like_ like? That's . . . that isn't the Kim I grew up with."

"Then perhaps she herself did not know until recently," Yori suggested.

"Throughout highschool she was crushing on guys!" he protested. "It just doesn't make any sense, Yori!"

"Ron- _san_ ," she said. When he looked at her, she added, "I am afraid that it will not make sense to you until you can come to terms with yourself."

"Huh?"

"Possible- _san_ 's preference of women over men is something that is foreign to you since it had never occurred before. You have a vision in your head of how you want things to be, which is coming into conflict with how things truly are. Possible- _san_ 's actions will not make sense to you, and therefore will not be understood by you, until you can accept them."

"But I can't accept what doesn't make any sense!"

"Sometimes, for things to make sense, they must first be accepted." With that, the black-haired ninja turned and walked back to the school, leaving a very confused and frustrated Ron Stoppable behind her.

 **E/N:** Whoa! Talk about some world-shattering events! Kim's giving up cheerleading, Bonnie seems concerned in her own way, Rebecca Shaw is a clone of Shego, and Isabella has just learned that the kids she had been forced away from with her divorce became Team Go! And to top it off, Ron has run away to the Yamanouchi school in Japan! Let's not forget the fact that Samantha Gibbs (aka Shego) has just broken her ex-girlfriend Electronique (aka Ellen Dechesne) out of prison for the sole purpose of helping the supervillain get revenge on Kim Possible! (And did I forget to mention that Isabella Shaw and Betty Director are married?)

What exactly will Shego and Electronique do now? Will Kim ever snap out of her increasingly gloomy funk? Will Isabella really be able to forgive her wife after learning just what the secret she'd kept for nearly their entire marriage was? You'll just have to find the answers in "Getting to Know You," the next chapter in Red Flame!

Oh, and please review after reading. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 3 – Getting to Know You**

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice Headquarters_

It was a day later, and Betty was alone in her office, which was the usual for when she was 'on the clock' unless she had a meeting or chose to partake in a field operation. However, what made this day different than the others that had come before was that the one-eyed leader of GJ hadn't left her office in twenty-four hours – which included the time she'd came in the day before. The reason, though, wasn't due to the fact that Shego had broken Electronique out of her prison in Go City, nor the myriad of other emergencies Global Justice had had to deal with since the absence of Kim Possible from the world-saving scene. No, the reason for her never having left her office had to do with her wife. For the first time in a long time, Betty felt that she was in danger of losing the most important part of her life.

Isabella hadn't forbidden her from their shared quarters, but after what Betty had revealed she had said that she needed time alone. In all the time they'd been together, in the twelve years they'd been married, Betty had never seen her wife like this. It made her feel as though there was a cold vise-like grip around her heart, squeezing tighter and tighter with each passing hour. Rebecca, though, had stayed behind. It was obvious she was just as hurt as her mom, but most of her pain seemed to be more from the fact that Betty had kept such a thing secret from the woman she loved than from the knowledge itself. The conversation they'd hadn't been easy for Betty.

"How could you hurt mom like that?" the young woman had asked.

"I didn't want to hurt her at all," Betty had replied in a whisper. "I love your mom, Rebecca."

"If I didn't already know that I was at first created to counter Shego, and then became intended to serve as a 'template' for an anti-super villain special task force," Rebecca had said next, "then this is where I would wonder if I had been created as a way for Mom to have one of her children back." Those words had hurt Betty, even though she knew that her daughter didn't mean them to.

"Rebecca," she had said, "that may have been the _reason_ for your birth, but it doesn't matter now."

"What do you mean, Mother?" the teen had asked.

"You're here now, and _that's_ all that matters. Your mom and I love you for you, though I'll admit I had to work myself through my whole 'Global Justice first' issues." That statement had made her daughter chuckle, which had lightened Betty's heart a bit.

"You'll work things out with Mom, right?"

"Firefly, I'll do whatever has to be done to make this up to your mom."

But in spite of spending the whole night avoiding sleep to thinking, she hadn't come up with any ideas for how to make up for keeping secret what she had. Just then, she heard a knock on her office door.

"Enter," she said, brushing her disheveled hair with a hand and trying _not_ to look as though she'd spent the entire night in her office. She was expecting Will Du, her top agent, and so was floored beyond disbelief when her wife entered.

"You didn't come home last night, love," Isabella said as she came in and shut the door.

"I, uh, well, um, you see, uh . . ." Betty stammered, her thoughts racing around and bumping into each other. The raven-haired woman's chuckle brightened her up a lot.

"Even after twelve years of marriage, you are still cute when you get flustered." She took a chuckling breath, and let it out. "I know what you probably thought, Betts. And I won't lie to you; learning that you'd kept something like that from me hurt a lot. More than I thought it would, although I didn't know what it was until you said it. But," she said, holding up a finger to silence her wife, "it doesn't matter. Because I did a lot of thinking between yesterday and today, and also talked to Rebecca a good deal. And I was reminded of something."

"W-What was that?" Betty asked nervously.

"That when I married you, I promised I'd be with you forever and always, no matter how much of a bitch you were." That made both women chuckle and like a dam breaking, the bad feelings that had seemed to be between them were swept away. "So," Isabella said, wiping a tear of mirth away from her eyes, "what as this plan you had to give our daughter what she truly needs without coming up against any of the Global Justice regulations?"

"I'm going to have her stay with Kim Possible," Betty said, simply and to the point.

"The teen hero? But she hasn't been active in nearly a week," her wife pointed out. "Not since that Li'l Diablo incident with Drew Lipsky."

"So you _do_ pay attention to my reports."

"Stuff a sock in it, Cyclops."

"I'd rather stuff something in you, Kitten."

"Sexist."

"Nympho."

"Never denied that," Isabella said, laughing.

"Kim's inactivity is one of the reasons for my decision," Betty continued, still chuckling. "Another reason is that Kim Possible is one of the most honest and moralistic people I've ever seen. The Li'l Diablo incident, specifically her actions with Shego, have shown that she has a dark side. However, I would say that would take something extreme – or perhaps a few extreme things – to push her over that edge. The fact of the matter, and the point that swayed the United Nations Security Council, is that Kim Possible is the only person in the world who has stood toe-to-toe against super-powered criminals and other 'super villains.' Monty Fiske, going by the _nom de guer_ Moneky Fist, is a master of _Tai Shing Pek Kwar_ , or Moneky Kung Fu. Kim Possible, who has had no formalized martial arts training and is – or, rather, was – the best cheerleader at Middleton High, has fought him to a standstill on a few occasions; and has thoroughly kicked his ass on several others. When she was just twelve years old, she managed to make it through and neutralize a security system that is _still_ one of the most advanced in the world today."

"Nice pedigree," the other woman commented.

"So she is more than capable of furthering both Rebecca's combat skills as well as her social skills."

"You have another reason, though."

"Yes. I believe that Rebecca would be good for Kimberly. Right now she's lost and adrift. The discovery of just what she's capable of if pushed well beyond her limits has, I imagine, depressed and despaired her."

"Not to mention the guilt, if what we know of her is accurate."

"Yes. Then of course there's Ron Stoppable's trip to and disappearance in Japan. He was the one of constants in Kimberly's life, and one of her main supports in her world-saving efforts. His departure and disappearance have undoubtedly contributed further to her negative spiral."

"And the reason behind Stoppable's actions?"

"Unknown at this time. But I imagine his reason – or reasons – were and are valid to him. But he does have a prediliction for overreaction and misunderstanding. The naked mole rat he always carries with him, Rufus, is more perceptive than he is."

"What a buffoon."

"Not the first time he's been referred to as that."

"It would be a surprise if it was," Isabella said. Then she leaned forward and looked intently at her wife. "So your intention is to use Kim Possible as a way to prepare Rebecca for the world itself as well as the purpose we hope she'll choose for herself, and to use Rebecca to help Kim get through this dark period within her life."

"That's my plan to the letter."

"I hope you considered the one obvious possibility."

"I've considered several possibilities, Kitten. To which do you refer?" Isabella merely raised an eyebrow.

"Ah. _That_ one."

"Yes."

"We'll . . . cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Whatever you say, Cyclops."

"Watch it, Kitten."

"You only call me that because I purr when you rub me the right way."

Betty was about to retort when she looked beyond her wife and turned as red as a lobster. Isabella turned her head and saw Will Du standing there, reports fluttering from his hands and his face even redder than Betty's. Isabella just burst out laughing.

 _Colorado Rockies, Shego's Lair_

"I have to say, Samantha," Electronique said as she slipped into her tech suit, "I would never have thought you'd go evil. Considering that you chose your goody-goody hero work over your own girlfriend."

"I suppose I had that coming," Shego admitted bitterly, "but at least you're not killing me or anything."

"What I _was_ going to do was make all of Team Go evil and turn them on Go City. When the city had turned against them, I'd've turned all of you back and would've had some of my revenge." The gray-skinned villainess shrugged. "Kind of a moot point now, since you went evil all on your own."

"What happened to you, and between us, contributed to that. And the fact that, even though I stood by him for his whole hero thing, he used me as a scapegoat whenever things got excessively violent."

"So who's this Drakken fellow you're working for?" she asked, turning around and motioning to the zipper on her suit's back. Shego came over and zipped her up.

"Used to work for," the green-skinned woman corrected. "I've been thrown in jail too many times because his dumbass schemes either failed or took so long to implement that they were stopped before they were completed."

"Sounds like an idiot."

"He's a genius when it comes to making devices and chemical cocktails, but in everything else he's dumber than a sack of shit."

"So why work for someone as perceptive as Hego?"

"The money," Shego said simply. Electronique looked at her. "What? He paid me good money to contract my services – especially since I'd written up my contract myself and threatened him with a plasma enema if he didn't take it as is."

"You're such a bitch."

"You would know."

"I used to know, anyway."

"Let's leave the past where it is, Ellen. I broke you out of prison because you've had plenty of time in there to work up a revenge scheme, so you know what kind of planning is needed for that. And . . . you always were better at long-term, in-depth planning than I was."

"You used to be so prideful and unwilling to admit any weaknesses," Ellen said softly, staring at her ex-girlfriend. "What happened?

"Nearly getting electrocuted to death changes a person," Shego replied bitterly. "I got my ass kicked by Kim Possible."

Electronique had heard that name, but only because of the prison grape-vine.

"And . . . you want revenge because of that?"

"The fucking bitch did it on purpose!"

"Well, that's usually how asses get kicked."

"I meant the electrocution thing, you fucktard!"

"You're so easy," Electronique said with a chuckle.

"The fuck I am! It took you two years to get into my pants!"

"Only because I had to drop a few pounds."

Shego let out a screech and plasma-punched the nearby wall as the other woman chuckled softly. _I haven't had this much fun in years_ , she thought. _This is better than any revenge scheme I could've come up with._ When she cleared her throat, she got a withering glare in reply. "Truce, Samantha," she said, holding up her hands. "Truce."

"You always did know how to push my buttons," Samantha replied grudgingly.

"It cames from having known you so well," Ellen said. Her expression darkened, though. "Or that's what I used to think."

"Let's settle that later, okay?"

"That's right. I'm supposed to help you plan your own revenge," was the sardonic reply. "Now that's irony; help the target of my _own_ vengeance plan _her_ vengeance."

"We shook on it, Ellie. And you always keep your promises when you do that."

"Actually, I want to take my revenge now."

"What?!"

"Oh don't get me wrong. I _will_ keep my promise to help you out, Sam."

" _Don't_ call me that."

"But I want to start getting _my_ revenge in the process." With a sly smirk on her face, Ellen sauntered up to the other woman until they but a step apart.

"And just how are you going to do that?"

"I think I'll start . . . with this," she said, before taking that last step, wrapping her arms around the taller woman's neck, and planting a passionate kiss on her stunned lips.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence (Friday)_

When Kim got home from school that day, she found that her mom was home. The elder Possible woman looked up as her daughter came in the house.

"Hey, there, Kimmie," she said, setting down the book she'd been reading. "Are you doing alright? How was school?"

"About the same as always," was her noncommital reply. "I've got homework to do."

"It's Friday, sweetheart."

"It's extra work. I'll be down for supper," Kim said as she went up to her room. As she watched her go, Ann sighed. For the past week, her usually vibrant and happy daughter had been withdrawn and unsocial. She did whatever she could to avoid being around people as often as possible, and said only what absolutely needed to be said in other circumstances. Ann knew that whatever was going on had to do with the Li'l Diablo attack last week, as well as Ron's disappearance the next day. According to his mom, he'd been accepted into an exchange program and was now in Japan. She hadn't told Kim that, since she doubted her daughter would even listen to the information. Bonnie's visit on Monday had actually altered Kim's mood a bit, though it wasn't a noticeably positive effect. Just then, Ann heard the doorbell ring.

"Coming," she called out.

It hadn't taken Kim long to finish the 'make work' she'd requested; the only reason she went through it so quick was that she actually had no interest in it and just wanted to get it done. But now that it was done, she had nothing to distract her from her thoughts. And they always swirled around one thing, and one thing in particular: that was capable of willingly killing someone. Ron's absence didn't really register on her mind anymore, nor did his reaction to her homosexuality. She tried to get her thoughts off of the dark path they were taking, but she didn't really care enough to make a real effort. Her mind kept circling around the thought that she had _deliberately_ kicked Shego into that tower, with the _hope_ that she'd die; and the satisfaction that she'd kicked the older woman's ass hard. And right when her memories started flashing, she heard her mom calling her.

"Kimmie! You have visitors!"

Resigning herself to being around yet more people when she just wanted to be alone (in spite of the deep ache within her that craved companionship), Kim got up and went downstairs.

The first thing she noticed was Betty Director, the head of Global Justice, sitting across from her mom. The second thing she noticed as the two other women next to Betty. A surge of adrenaline, as surprising as it was welcome, shot through Kim's body as she recognized Shego. Then her mind caught up with what her eyes had already noticed; the girl _wasn't_ exactly Shego. For one thing, she definitely _was_ a girl (about the same age as Kim herself).

"You're red," she said blankly, staring at the girl.

"Kimberly," her mom said disapprovingly.

"No, no, Doctor Possible," the girl said shyly. "It's . . . it's okay. That's usually the first thing people notice about me. Well, that is, you know, if they haven't already met me. Which she, um, now has, I guess."

"Rebecca, you're rambling," the other woman, who looked like an older version of Shego, said with a loving smile.

"Sorry, Mom."

"Kimberly, it's rude to stare," Ann said. Shaking herself out of her shock, she came around and sat down next to her mom.

"Kim," Betty said, leaning forward, "I'd like to introduce you to my wife, Isabella Shaw, and our daughter, Rebecca?"

"Well, there goes my lesbian fantasy," Kim muttered. She turned beet red in embarrasment when everyone stared at her. "Well, it's true," she mumbled.

"Kimberly!" her mom asked. "That's not something you just come right out an say!"

"It's not exactly how I was planning on coming out, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now."

"Don't you say a word, Isabella," Betty warned. The two Possible women looked at her and she shrugged. "Private matter," she explained, then reddened a bit when her wife giggled. "Anyway," she went on, "we're here because we need you, Kimberly."

"Doctor Director," Kim said, "I'm no good to anyone right now."

"I'm fully aware of what happened on top of the Bueno Nacho headquarters building. And I am also aware that your longtime friend Ron Stoppable has left the country. I'm afraid, though, in spite of the fact that I want to give you the time you need to come to terms with everything that's happened, I can't."

"What's going on, Betty?" Ann asked, concerned.

"The day after the Li'l Diablo attack, Shego broke out of Global Justice's most secure prison complex. She utilized a previously unknown skill with her plasma powers; two, actually, since she melted off the power-suppression bracers we'd outfitted her with. Last night, she infiltrated Go City's 'most secure' prison and broke out Electronique."

"Who?" Kim asked, her instincts ignoring her desire to just be ignored.

"She was a villain that had been imprisoned by Team Go shortly before Shego's departure from the team." Then she looked over at her daughter.

"Rebecca is . . . special," Isabella picked up. "To put it bluntly, she's a full clone of Shego."

"You cloned Shego," Kim said.

"We really didn't have a choice, Miss Possible," the raven-haired woman replied. "Shego is highly dangerous, as I'm sure you are aware of. Back then, we didn't have you. Rebecca is the outcome of a project called Project Firefly. It was my personal project, and I named it after the nickname I'd given my daughter Samantha. Rebecca came to mean so much more to me than a project. Chronologically she's younger than sixteen, but we accelerated the aging of her DNA matrix many times, and used electro-imprinting techniques to teach her more quickly."

"Why would you do something like that?" Kim asked. "Um, no offense, Rebecca."

"None taken, Kim," the red/black-haired girl said with a smile. "When Project Firefly was first thought of, it was meant to be a way to counter Shego. But when you came on the scene and proved that you had the skills to fight Shego, I became a . . . prototype, if you will, to test out the feasibility of creating a special task unit within Global Justice for the express purpose of battling super-powered individuals, as well as those villains who cannot be handled by conventional means."

"You speak so casaully about all of that," Ann said.

"I've had a few years to come to terms with everything."

"There's actually something else you should know, Kimberly," Betty said. When the teen was looking at her, she went on. "Isabella was once married to a man named Robert Gibbs. About fourteen years ago she was unwillingly divorced and lost all chances to see the children they'd had. I tell you that because a year after the divorce, a meteor struck her house and gave all five of her children super powers. _Including_ her daughter, Samantha."

"Are you saying that Shego is her daughter?" Kim asked incredulously. It was the most emotion Ann had seen in her daughter all week.

"My first daughter, yes," Isabella corrected. "Rebecca may be a clone of Shego, but she is still my daughter. And she _is_ a _clone_ , not a carbon-copy."

"I'm only asking a favor, Kim," Betty said, the informality surprising the teen hero. "I can't order you to do this."

"Do what?"

"We need Rebecca to stay with you," Isabella explained. "She isn't in any danger or anything, though she'll probably be going _into_ danger with you. She has extensive training, and is pretty smart, but it's all knowledge and no experience. No . . . real world application, as it were."

"And it isn't only that," Betty started to say, but then Rebecca interrupted her.

"I want to have a chance at a normal life," she said. "Or at least experience one."

"You've come to the wrong girl for that, then," Kim replied. "I am – or was, rather – the 'girl who can do anything.' But I'm can't do that anymore."

"I think you can," the other teen said, her expression honest and earnest. "I've seen videos of what you've done before. You're amazing!"

"Well, uh, I-I wouldn't say that," she said, blushing in embarrasment. But even as she said that, Kim was feeling the stirring of something within her that been missing for the past week. Or, to be more accurate, it had merely lain dormant.

"Kimmie, I am willing to do this," Ann told her, "but only if you agree to it, since Rebecca would be _your_ responsibility."

"Spankin'," Kim said, a smile finally appearing on her face. It was a small, vulnerable smile, but it was a smile nevertheless. And something about it caused Rebecca's heart to flutter strangely in a way that was as thrilling as it was puzzling.

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice Headquarters (later that night)_

"Do you think we made the right decision, dear?" Betty asked, looking over at her wife. The nude woman turned and regarded her.

"A little late for second thoughts, Cyclops," Isabella said. "We've placed our bets, and now we've gotta see where the dice land." The raven-haired woman sensuously walked over and crawled onto the bed, her feline-like grace making Betty's nipples harden and her sex moist. "And right now, I think we need a little . . . wife time."

"Isabella, we need to-oomph," Betty began, before her wife's lips on her own not only cut off any further words, but also any further thoughts. The one-eyed brunette reached up and drew her lover closer, moaning as their breasts brushed together. Breaking off the kiss, Isabella stared into her wife's eye and said, "Make me purr, Cyclops."

Betty responded by rolling the two of them over until she was straddling the other woman's hips. Without hesitation, she reached behind her and between Isabella's legs. Her wife groaned and arched her back as she felt those nimble fingers caress her aroused sex. The beauty beneath her sat up and latched her mouth onto one of Betty's nipples, eliciting a moan from her. And as their lovemaking intensified, Betty did, indeed, make her life literally purr.

Four hours and numerous orgasms later, the two of them lay in each other's arms, basking in the afterglow of their intimacy. The feeling of contentment and peace, as well as the love and safety she felt, cause Isabella to start crying.

"Kitten?" Betty asked, pulling her closer. "What's wrong, love?"

"How did I ever deserve this?" she whispered in reply, still sobbing. "I lose everything, and get a second chance with the only person I ever really gave my heart to."

"I should be asking that question, Kitten."

"What do you mean, Betts?"

"Ever since we graduated, I've only ever been married to my work. You, at least, had a chance to have a family. When I encountered you in Upperton, I was actually there on a job. I saw you, and told Will to take over the operation. He asked me if there was anything wrong."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that something far more important had come up, and I wasn't going to deal with anything else." Betty turned her gaze back to her wife. "I lost you once because I fucked up, no question about that. When I saw you for the first time there, I realized that I'd actually been given a second chance. That, just maybe, I could make things work this time. And for the first time in my entire career with Global Justice, I put aside everything for the chance to spend even just one moment with the woman who'd stolen my heart."

"Betty . . ." Isabella whispered, before pulling her close and kissing her. It started out as just a wordless way of expressing her love, but soon the passion between the two of them bubbled up again and they expressed their love and gratitude to the other in far more pleasurable ways.

 **E/N:** Wow. Just . . . wow. This chapter was an amazing write for me. Isabella was absolutely understanding of Betty's situation, and knew her heart was in the right place. Electronique is definitely hitting on Shego after teasing her tremendously. And now Rebecca Shaw – aka Firefly – is staying with Kim Possible, who just blurted out to the girl's parents that she's a lesbian – _and_ had fantasized at some point about Betty. And the chapter ended on a rathe tender note.

Are Shego and Electronique going to hook back up, in spite of their antagonistic past? Is Kim coming out of her despair for good, or is this just a break in the clouds? What kind of revenge will Electronique help her ex(?)-girlfriend plan? Whatever the future holds, the next step on that journey can be found in "Things Begin," the fourth chapter of Red Flame!


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 4 – Things Begin**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

When Betty had showed up with her wife and daughter in tow, Ann's twin sons Jim and Tim had been over at a friend's house. When they got home, after the leader of GJ had left, they found not only their sister downstairs, but someone they didn't know. Their mom had explained that the girl was Rebecca Shaw, and that she would be staying with them for a while. Even though the Possibles had a guest room in the house, Ann was adament about Rebecca sharing Kim's room. She hoped that the other girl would help her daughter out of the depression she was falling into. And the fact that Rebecca idolized Kim Possible hopefully wouldn't hurt, either. Ann had also warned her sons _not_ to antagonize or attempt to experiment on Rebecca; she didn't want to have to treat them for plasma burns.

Up in Kim's room, the redhead was helping her new roomie get her clothes situated.

"You're okay with me staying in your room with you?" Rebecca asked as she hung something up in Kim's closet. "Your mom . . . did say you have a guest room."

"It's alright," Kim said as she finished setting up a single-sized air mattress.

"It's just that, well, you don't seem . . . happy with me being here," she replied. Kim turned and looked at the other girl, seeing how she looked down at her feet.

"It's not you, Rebecca," the teen hero told her. She stood and walked over. "It's . . . well, it's me."

"What do you mean, Miss Possible?"

"Call me Kim, please."

"Well, um, okay. Kim."

"You don't need to worry about me," Kim went on. "No one does."

"I want to help. I don't like seeing people upset," Rebecca told her. The redhead looked at her in surprise. "What? Just because the person I was cloned from became a villain doesn't mean _I_ have a prediliction for such behavior."

"You look just like Shego, though," Kim pointed out. "Well, except your skin isn't green and your hair seems to be either black or a dark red."

"It's both, actually. And while I may look like a sixteen-year-old version of Shego, I'm not like her in any way – as far as personality goes, anyway. Genetically speaking, I'm _nearly_ one hundred percent Shego."

"Nearly?"

In response, Rebecca light up a hand with _red_ plasma. " _My_ plasma powers are spectrum-shifted to red instead of green," she said. "Which actually doesn't make me a _direct_ clone."

"You're . . . pretty at ease about being a clone."

"I've had time to get used to the idea. Besides, cloning is how I was born. It doesn't define who I am. I do. There's another thing that makes me different from my big sister."

"Big sister?" Kim echoed.

"That's what she is, even though I've never met her. And I was raised differently than she was, too."

"That's . . . true," Kim said slowly, thoughtfully, as she sat down on the bed behind her. "No one else can truly define who you are; that's something only you can do."

"So can you answer me a question?"

"I just did, but I'll answer another," she said, drawing a giggle from the beautifully-haired girl.

"If you believe what you just said, then . . . then why are you allowing yourself to be defined by the actions of someone else?" That question created a silence that was actually too quiet, and Rebecca hurriedly spoke. "I-I am sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have-"

"It was my fault," Kim said quietly, staring down at her hands. Rebecca wanted to say something, anything, but her instincts told her to be patient. After a few moments, the redheaded-teen spoke again. "About a week ago, I stopped a villain named Doctor Drakken from taking over the world with an army of nanotech-based robots. I had help from my . . . friends . . . but my main fight was with his sidekick, Shego." Rebecca, of course knew all of this, but she sensed that Kim needed to verbally work her way through this. "Ron and I had gotten captured because I'd tried to save Erik, who turned out to be a synthodrone. His only purpose was to keep me distracted and unfocused, to toy with my emotions and everything. And it worked." She took in a shuddering breath, but went on. "Shego and I were rivals from the very first mission I encountered Drakken on. Over the years I've been saving people and in some cases countries, Shego has been the only one to push me to my limits and even beyond them. Well, that night on top of the Bueno Nachos headquarters, I was way beyond my limits. When Shego and I fought, I wasn't interested in fighting her; I just wanted to kick her green-skinned ass and make her hurt like I did. I succeeded, too, but I wasn't finished. I kicked her into an active electrical tower that electrocuted her so bad she should've been killed. And I was smiling when it happened." She looked up at the other girl, tears filling her eyes and falling down her face. "I'm supposed to be the good girl, the hero. I've gotten mad before, and angry, but I've always done the right thing. That night, I gave into a darkness I didn't even know I had. And then the next day I went and talked with Ron, because we'd kissed at prom."

"What's a prom?" Rebecca couldn't help asking. Then she flushed in embarrassment, and the pink tinge that flooded her cheeks made her look cute to Kim.

"It's a, uh, dance. A big school dance, though this one was only the junior prom."

"I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay, Rebecca," Kim told her. "I . . . I actually appreciated it." She hazarded a smile. "I think Ron was under the impression that things had changed between us, that we were going to be boyfriend and girlfriend."

"But you didn't feel that way."

"No. Not one bit. I didn't even want to go meet him, because of what I was feeling about the whole thing with Shego and Erik and all, but I knew that if I didn't do anything right away that it would be worse later on. As it turned out, things went bad anyway. He couldn't – or wouldn't – understand that there wasn't an 'us' as he thought of it, and that there would never be an 'us' in that way. I told him I wasn't interested in him or in guys, period. He . . . didn't take it well. So he walked up and left. I was emotionally down, vulnerable, my defenses lowered . . . I mean, why would I have them up around him? He's my best friend. His actions . . . it was the emotional equivalent of kicking me _while_ I was down."

Before Kim could say anything more, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She was further startled when the mattress shifted as Rebecca sat down next to her. The hug had shifted, of course, but was still there.

"It's alright, Kim," Rebecca said softly. "Carrying around such negativity isn't good for a person's heart and soul. It eats away at the goodness within. If you want, you can use my shoulder."

Kim didn't know what to say. She didn't really know Rebecca Shaw at all, beyond what she'd learned earlier. And Rebecca only knew of her from what she'd seen and read on the internet. Yet here she was, willing to be there for her as . . . as a true friend would. Overwhelmed by that selflessness, Kim allowed her walls to break down. It started with just a sob, but the dam broke with it and Kim turned and buried her head in Rebecca's shoulder. Both of the ivory-skinned girl's arms came around the other teen and pulled her close. Rebecca rested her head on top of Kim's and just held her, letting her unload her grief and sorrow.

 _Colorado Rockies, Shego's Lair_

"You're still thinking about that kiss, aren't you?" Ellen asked, smirking.

"You try keeping something like that out of your head," Samantha growled, drawing a chuckle from her ex.

"So, ready to get down to your revenge scheme, Hot Lips?"

"Gah!"

"Settle down, Chuckles. First thing is . . . just _what_ do you want?"

"Um, hello? Revenge, doh!"

"Dumbass. What are you wanting to accomplish? Do you want to kill her? Beat her? Humiliate her? What?"

"Oh."

"Hadn't really thought about that, huh?" Ellen smiled when Samantha growled at her. "Killing her, while it sounds delicious, wouldn't be nearly as sumptuous a banquet."

"Are we talking about revenge or supper?"

"Revenge _is_ a dish best served cold, though considering you we'll have slow-cook it instead. So. No killing. Well, _her_ , anyway. So your endgame needs to be facing her down, one-on-one, bitch'o-on-bitch'o."

"I don't think that's how it goes."

"Fuck you."

"You did that already. Liked it, too, if memory serves."

"That . . . was pretty good."

"Thanks."

"So, the goal is to get you two into a fight so you can kick her ass or whatever. We'll need to do this in stages, then."

"Why?"

"Because if we just try to do something to get her attention, it'll backfire on us. We're not doing a scheme for taking over a country, or the world, or anything. We're after revenge, pure and simple. And if she hasn't been seen for a week, in spite of our colleagues' activities, then a simple domination scheme isn't going to cut it. She _will_ be back eventually, though, of that we can be certain."

"So what do yo have in mind, Ellie?"

"First we need to get her attention back to what she's been doing."

"Get her _back_ into hero work?"

"Trust me. In order for you to beat her, humiliate her, she has to be back in the game, doing what she does best. Otherwise there's no point. So we'll wait for her to get back in action. We'll use that time to begin setting the groundwork."

"What groundwork?"

"Think of it as like a videogame. _We_ are the boss fight; or, rather, _you_ are. You don't make an appearance until the very end, even though – in those games – the hero knows you're there. We don't let Kim Possible know we're involved until the start of the final level."

"You're a geek, you know that?"

"Sure am. That's what you used to love about me. Now, back to the scheme. For the groundwork, what we'll need to do is get the other villains to basically follow their natures. World domination schemes, short-viewed revenge schemes, whatever floats their boat. The point of all of that will be to wear Kim Possible out, stress her out. Get her measure. Once we know what she's capable of, or actually even before that, we start working on a scheme of our own to draw her to us. I still want revenge on your brothers, so we can use that."

"Sounds good, Ellie," Samantha said. Then she looked confused.

"What?" Ellen asked.

"You still want revenge on my brothers? What about me? Weren't you wanting revenge on _all_ of Team Go?"

"Are you a part of Team Go?"

"Hell no!"

"Then there's your answer."

"But _I'm_ the one who kicked your hot ass and put it in prison!"

"I still haven't forgiven you for that, but your reaction to my kiss actually . . . well to be honest, it was the best revenge I could ever have imagined, because it never occurred to me until that moment." She took her goggles off and looked right at Samantha, letting her ex-girlfriend see her eyes for the first time since her transformation.

"Damn," Samantha said in amazement. To her surprise, Ellen blushed. At the moment, both of them realized that the spark that had been between them, which had first brought them together, hadn't vanished after all. It took them longer to realize they'd been staring into each other's eyes for nearly ten minutes.

"Um, we, uh, should . . . you know, get back to the, um, revenge . . . thing," Samantha stammered out.

"Uh, um, y-yeah," Ellen agreed. "Revenge. Right."

The two looked at each other in silence for a bit longer.

"Are you as horny as I am?" Samantha asked.

"Bitch, I haven't gotten laid since we broke up.

"Revenge can wait, then."

"You think?"

"You gonna strip?"

"You gonna make me?"

Samantha smirked, and the next thing Ellen knew she felt a burning sensation on her on leg.

"Fucking hell!" she yelled, realizing her pants leg was on fire. Jumping up, she peeled of her jumpsuit and began quickly patting the leg to put out the fire. Then she glared at Shego.

"What the fuck was that?!" she snarled.

The other woman burst out laughing and said, "I made you strip." Right then, Ellen realized she was, indeed, completely naked. She looked down at herself before looking back at her.

"You sneaky bitch," she replied, smiling.

"Fair's fair," was the reply, before the green-skinned woman stripped herself.

"Holy fuck! You're naked under that thing, too?"

"It feels great on my bare skin."

Neither was in a mood for further words, and they soon had their naked bodies pressed tightly together, arms wrapped around each other, lips and tongues fighting for dominance. When they broke off for air, their chests heaving a bit, they locked eyes again and said, at the exact same time, "Fuck, that kiss was hot!" Bursting into laughter, they embraced again.

"This doesn't mean we're back together," Samantha said, though it was more of a question.

"Well, I have nothing against expanding our . . . partnership," Ellen replied.

"I am . . . I want to say sorry, because you were right about everything and I was wrong, but it . . . I know it wouldn't make anything better."

Ellen put a finger to the taller woman's lips. "That," she said, "right there is why I've changed my mind about revenge. You really hurt me before, and nothing can make that right again. But maybe, in helping you get _your_ revenge, I can come to terms with everything."

"I've got a bed in my room we can use to . . . negotiate our partnership."

In less than a moment they were in Shego's room, on her bed, their hands roaming and groping all over each other. Samantha slipped a hand between them and into Ellen, eliciting a groan from her as two of the green-skinned woman's fingers slipped into her wetness. No words were spoken between them, for none were needed now. Though it had been over a decade since their last moment of intimacy, they easily slipped back into their old rhythms and habits. Soon their sexes were touching as they came together, trying to out-pleasure each other. Keeping their lower bodies together, they sat up so that their entire bodies were touching. Like this, breasts and lips touching, they achieved ultimate bliss together.

But as they laid down together, unwilling to leave the other (so they could maintain the illusion that the intervening years never happened), they wondered if things would stay this way, get worse, or – against all odds – get better. And neither was sure if they were thinking about the revenge scheme or their relationship.

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice Headquarters_

"Am I a terrible mother, Betty?" Isabella asked that night, after they'd made love.

"What the hell makes you ask that, Kitten?" Betty asked, sitting up and looking over at her wife.

"Samantha," she replied. "I think I should've noticed sooner that Shego looked like her."

"You can't blame yourself, Kitten. She was ten the last time you saw her. Appearances can change in that amount of time."

"I should've done something, though."

"What could you have done, Isabella? Either then or now? That bastard you were married to had successfully smeared your reputation so badly that it's a wonder you weren't arrested and jailed. I looked over all of the evidence and dispositions of that case, shortly after you agreed to work at Global Justice. There wasn't a chance to even file an appeal for visiting rights."

"I know that, but-"

"And as for now? She's a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. I don't know what you're feeling, since I've never been a mother until Rebecca, but there's nothing that can be done for her now." She reached over and tentatively grasped her wife's hand. She smiled when Isabella returned her grip. "This may not be much of a consolation, but if we can get her back into The Crate, we . . . might could arrange a visitation of some kind."

"You . . . you'd do that? For me?"

"I'd do anything for you, Kitten."

"What if she hates me, though? For not being in her life at all, and then suddenly appearing now?"

"I can't say, love. I'm only the head of Global Justice, not a clairvoyant."

"Do you know why I pushed for Project Firefly so hard? Why I wanted to create a person that could stand against Shego?"

"That's something I have often wondered, though I've always respected you enough to not press you about it until you were ready."

"I needed to feel valued. And I know you valued me as both the love of my life, and as the smartest individual ever to appear within the agency, but because of the divorce I didn't really feel I had value. And when I learned about Shego, and Global Justice's acquisition of her DNA prior to her fall from heroics, I . . . well, I wanted to have a child again. Someone to take of, who truly depended upon me. I didn't that I would get that chance if I just asked. So I played it off as a way to develop someone with the same powers as Shego, and capable of being trained to stand against her. And when Kim Possible came on the scene, I was afraid that the project would be canceled and Rebecca . . . killed."

"Which is when you suggested using her as a prototype for developing a special strike team to be used for dealing with similar threats."

"Yeah. And when you told me that Shego was actually my little Firefly . . . I felt like I didn't deserve the happiness I'd found since that terrible day sixteen years ago. What kind of mother am I that I didn't fight harder for my children? Why didn't I try to go after Samantha after what you'd told me?"

"Isabella?"

"What?"

"Shut the fuck up."

The raven-haired woman stared at her wife in shock. But before she could even recover her wits to say anything, Betty said, "I don't want to hear anyone talking about you like that, especially yourself. The arguments you're making can be made, yes, but they're bullshit. What happened in the past happened in the past; it can't be changed. We can always play the 'if only' and 'what if' games, but we'll always lose them. What we can do is work in the present to try for the future we want. What happened was terrible, yes. And it is disheartening to learn what Samantha has become. I don't know if she can be redeemed, but even I have hope that she can." Betty pulled her wife to her and held her tenderly. "I have to catch her, though, for anything to happen. And right now that hope lies with our daughter and Kim Possible."

"Did we make the right decision? Leaving her there?"

"We've done all we can, Isabella. Kim Possible is more than capable of helping our daughter become who _she_ wants to be. And it isn't like we won't be able to visit her if we wanted to."

"That _is_ true."

"And one more thing, Isabella."

"What is it?"

"If you had wanted a child, all you had to have done was ask."

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Rebecca didn't know what the time was when Kim finally fell asleep, emotionally spent and physically exhausted as well. She knew there was a clock easily within her field of view, but she didn't care about the time; she'd sit here like this for as long as she could. Something about holding the redhead, of comforting her like this, just felt right to Rebecca. She gently, slowly, and carefully laid the other girl down on her bed, making sure she didn't wake her. After laying her down, Rebecca just sat there, watching her sleep. Right now, Kim appeared to be at peace; the other teen had gotten the impression all day, until Kim's revelations, that she was under a dark cloud (emotionally speaking). And it looked like at least being able to vent herself this way had, for the moment, purged her of those negative feelings. She made to get up, so she could change into sleepwear and then lay down on the spare bed, when she felt a hand grab her wrist. Looking down, she sees Kim sleepily staring at her.

"Don't leave?" she asked. "Please? I . . . I'm afraid that I'll . . . I'm sorry."

"For what?" Rebecca replied, a little confused.

"It's just that . . . ever since . . . last week I haven't been sleeping well. Nightmares and all, you know."

"I'll stay with you as long as you want me to, Kim," Rebecca told her. "But not like this." Before Kim could say anything, the other girl started removing her clothes until she was clad only in a bra and boxer-briefs. When she registered Kim's stare, she blushed. "They're comfortable for me," she mumbled, making the redhead giggle a bit. Kim shifted over in her bed and Rebecca climbed in under the covers. Before she could do more than settle, Kim had snuggled up against her and fallen back asleep. Sighing and shaking her head, but with a smile on her face, the shimmer-haired girl carefully adjusted herself to a more comfortable position and drifted off herself.

When Kim woke up the next morning, after a surprisingly pleasant and uninterrupted sleep, she was a little confused to discover that not only was there someone else in her bed, but that they had an arm around her. The confusion vanished when she focused on the ivory shade of the arm, and the night before rushed back to her. She wasn't sure which surprised her more: that she'd opened up that completely to someone she'd only just met, or that she hadn't been judged at all – just accepted. Then she realized something else that surprised her: she was perfectly comfortable just laying here, in her bed, in Rebecca's arms. Not wanting to wake up the other girl, and truly touched by how caring she was, Kim tried to get out of bed without making any noise. But when she shifted her weight, she heard some mumbling from behind her and went ahead and rolled over. She found herself very close to Rebecca's face; so close, in fact, that their noses were nearly touching. The shimmer-haired girl blinked her eyes, squinted a bit to focus, then smiled.

"G'ma'ning," she mumbled sleepily.

"Morning to you, too," Kim replied, trying out a smile herself.

"You sleep okay?" the other girl asked, waking up more now.

"Better than I have in what feels like forever," the redhead whispered, feeling like she was falling into Rebecca's eyes; a far from unpleasant sensation to her.

"I smell breakfast," Rebecca said, unable to pull her gaze away from Kim's. But the sound of a knock at the floor-door made both girls blink, and the spell was broken (but not forgotten).

"Girls!" Ann called through the door. "It's nearly noon; you two aren't going to sleep all day!"

"We slept that late?" Kim said, surprised. Rolling over in the bed, she looked at her clock and was surprised to find that her mom was right.

"You needed it," her bedmate said, drawing her attention.

"You held me the entire time I cried," Kim stated.

"Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. And everybody should have a good cry every once in a while. It's good for the body, and the soul."

 _And the heart_ , Kim thought. She actually _was_ feeling better than she had been. In fact, she was actually feeling the start of a particular tingle that meant a desire to move, to do something.

"Let's get dressed and go down for breakfast," Kim told her. As she got out of bed, though, she paused and looked at her new friend. Yes, she regarded Rebecca as a friend, even though she barely knew her. And a thought occurred to the teen as she thought of a way to _truly_ get to know her. "And . . . thanks. For . . . for what you did."

"Anytime," Rebecca replied, getting out of bed herself – and bringing a blush to Kim's face as the redhead saw her friend's state of undress.

When the two had made it downstairs, they found that Ann was the only one there.

"Hey, Mom?" Kim asked. "Where are dad and the tweebs?"

"Your father and brothers went out today," her mom explained, taking a sip of her coffee. "They were going to do a father-son thing at the science center."

"Will we be doing something with you, then, Missus Possible?" Rebecca asked, sitting down at one of the plates on the table.

"Oh, no, I'm afraid not," Ann told her. "I've got to go in to work today, so it'll just be the two of you."

"That's okay, mom," Kim replied. "I've . . . I've got something we can do."

"Really?" her mom said, surprised – and hopeful.

"Yeah. I was, um, thinking about seeing if Rebecca wanted to . . . you know, do some sparring after breakfast."

"Are you sure you're up to it, Kimmie?"

"Only one way to really find out, Mom. And I've been moping enough. I think . . . I think I'm ready to try to . . . well, to try to get back into life."

"Alright, Kimmie. Just . . . the two of you be careful, okay?" Ann asked. Then she looked over at Rebecca. "How do you feel about this?"

"It sounds fun," she replied. "My martial arts teachers always said that the truest way to know someone is to fight them. Even with the faints and deceptions found in many styles, it's still a more honest way to learn who a person is."

"Wow," Ann said, surprised. "That's . . . rather insightful." Then she stood up and took her cup over to the sink. "I'd love to stay and at least watch the two of you start, but I really do have to go."

"We'll be fine, Missus Possible," Rebecca assured her.

"I was also thinking, after we're done, that maybe we could go to the mall and try to get Rebecca some new clothes?" Kim asked more than stated.

"That would be just fine, Kimmie-cub," Ann agreed, drawing a groan from her daughter.

"Mooom," she said.

"Hey, it's okay, Kim," Rebecca told her. "My mom – both of them, actually – like to call me Firefly a lot. And . . . going to the mall _would_ be fun."

"Just don't overdo it, Kim, okay?" her mom asked.

"I know you're worried about me, mom, and that you've been worried about me all week," Kim replied. "But . . . I'm better now. Not like I used to be, but it's a beginning, at least."

"That's true. Now, I'll see you two later."

The two girls finished their breakfast, though it was after Ann had left, and tended to the dishes. Rebecca insisted on helping, which Kim appreciated for more than one reason. When they had finished, Kim looked over at her and said, "Now, let's go to the backyard. I want to get know who my new friend is."

 **E/N:** Touched on some background in this chapter. Kim opens up her soul to Rebecca, Isabella tells Betty her fears, Shego (Samantha) and Ellen (Electronique) seem to be making up after whatever happened that ripped them apart, and now Kim and Rebecca are going to spar.

The sun seems to be breaking through the clouds for Kim, but will it last? Things have begun to move foward, but where will they go? The only way to find out is to wait for the next chapter of Red Flame, "Team Possible Returns."


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 5 – Team Possible Returns**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

"Why the backyard?" Rebecca asked as she followed Kim outside.

"Not enough room in the frontyard," Kim replied, then she turned around. "Plus we have some privacy here so we don't really have to hold back. Though . . ."

"What? What is it?"

"I haven't done anything much for a week now, so I'm . . . a little rusty."

"Hey, that's okay," Rebecca said. "We can take it slow, build up a rhythm for a bit. Then we can pick up the pace."

Kim nodded, grateful for the other girl's understanding . . . and support. Taking up positions across from each other, they both carefully shifted into fighting stances. For a moment neither of them moved, just stayed that way. Afterwards, it would never be either of them who had moved first; but there was a slight twitch from someone and the two exploded into motion. Simple blocks, kicks, and punches at first, just to get each other's measure and ease into the fight (which Kim really needed, as she felt a bit slow in reacting). But as the minutes passed by, she felt herself coming back into a rhythm, to how she was before that night. She decided to up the ante when she flipped over Rebecca and threw a kick at the other girl's back. Rebecca didn't move fast enough and took the kick, but went into a roll and flipped back up to her feet. She turned around and gave Kim a mock glare.

"So that's how it's gonna be, is it?" she growled playfully. Kim assumed a fake-haughty pose and crossed her arms.

"Yeah. Gonna do something about it?" Kim said with a playful smirk. Kim still wasn't feeling like herself, or at least how she had been in the past, but something about Rebecca was bringing out her playful side. Instead of speaking, Rebecca sprinted at Kim – only to go into a slide, skidding towards the redhead. Then, while _still_ sliding, she spun around and pushed herself into the air while slinging a kick to her head. Kim dodged it and threw a kick of her own that the other girl arced over like a pole vaulter at the Olympics. As soon as both of them had touched the ground again they came at each other. Kim threw a punch at Rebecca that was blocked and countered by a kick, which the redhead jumped over. She turned her landing from the jump into an attack by spinning in the air into a downward kick. Rebecca twirled out of the way, throwing a hooking kick into it. Kim dodged it, though, and went into a handstand to launch a kick at her opponent.

"Come on, is that the best you got?" Kim said, smiling. She was feeling pretty alive now, the adrenaline was rushing through her body and her limbs were tingling with unspent energy. The two of them had opened up a 'dialogue;' now she wanted to get really get to know Rebecca.

"No holding back, then?" Rebecca asked and lit up her hands with her red plasma.

"Bring it on, Firefly," Kim said. Rebecca grinned hugely and sprang at the other girl, leading with one plasma-powered fist. Their exchanges became faster and faster, punches, kicks, and blocks flying almost faster than the eye could follow. Rebecca would come at Kim with an overhand punch, Kim would dodge it and then throw a sweeping kick would be ducked under and countered. As the match wore on, time seemed to just fly by the two of them; in fact, it had no meaning to either girl.

"You're . . . pretty good," Kim said, panting a bit.

"You're . . . not so bad . . . yourself," Rebecca replied, smiling. "Ready to . . . give up . . . now?"

"Ladies . . . first," Kim retorted.

"I . . . ain't no . . . lady," Rebecca corrected, and did something that Kim hadn't seen before, even when fighting Shego: she lit up her feet with plasma, too.

"That's new," the teen hero had time to say before she found herself fending off plasma-enhanced kicks and punches. Kim flipped back to avoid a kick and then had to twist in mid-air to avoid another plasma kick. When she landed she immediately had to execute a backflip to dodge a piledriver kick. As soon as her feet touched the ground again, she pushed herself forward into a somersault then did a leg sweep that Rebecca jumped over. Then Kim rolled to one side to avoid a ground punch that actually made her stumble a bit. The shimmer-haired girl pushed off with her fist and spiraled through the air to land next to Kim right as she stood up, and then they were back to trading kicks, punches, and blocks. Rebecca fired off a kick at Kim's side, which the redhead caught and attempted to use as leverage to flip the other girl. Right as she did, though, Rebecca kicked off the ground with her other leg and threw herself back as she brought up that leg into a kick. Kim let go and moved, but not fast enough to avoid the kick completely while Rebecca turned her fall into a backwards roll. She then jumped up into a punch that Kim leaned back from, then had to duck as Rebecca's other hand came around in a knife hand strike. She fired off her own punch, and backed it up with a rising kick. Rebecca caught the kick but didn't keep it; she used to augment her own jump and _then_ kept hold of it, pulling Kim over. The redheaded teen hero landed on her back with an explosive grunt of air while the shimmer-haired teen landed on her feet – only to fall back on her ass from exhaustion.

"What . . . was that . . . slam . . . punch you . . . did?" Kim panted, not bothering to sit up.

"It was a . . . mostly kinetic . . . plasma discharge . . . into the ground," Rebecca said, panting just as hard. "About . . . seventy percent . . . kinetic energy . . . and thirty percent . . . heat."

"Don't you think you girls should stop now?" they heard from the house. Looking over, they saw Kim's mom standing there.

"We haven't been . . . at this too long . . . Mom," Kim said. "It's just . . . been really . . . intense."

"Kimmie? It's time for supper."

"What?!" both girls said in unison. Just then they realized that the sun was low on the horizon.

"Now why don't the two of you come on inside and wash up?" Ann said. "Might want to change, too."

They agreed, and Rebecca walked over to help Kim up while Ann went back inside.

"That was . . . amazing," Kim said, her breathing almost back to normal.

"Yeah," Rebecca breathed. When the two of them went back inside, neither one realized that they were still holding hands.

After the two of them had changed and washed up, then made it back down to the table, everyone else was already there (of course). Though they had been introduced to Rebecca the previous day, the three Possible men didn't really know anything about their new guest. Well, beyond what Ann and Kim had relayed from the discussion they'd had with Rebecca and her parents. But _everyone_ around the table – with the exception of Kim and Rebecca – immediately noticed how different Kim was acting. How . . . upbeat she seemed in comparison to how she'd been.

"So, Rebecca," James Possible saying after the meal had started (Ann had made brainloaf tonight), "how are you enjoying your stay here? I know it's only been a day now, though."

"I'm really liking it," the shimmer-haired girl replied.

"Is it true-" Jim started.

"-that you have two moms?" Tim finished.

"Boys!" Ann scolded.

"It's cool, Missus Possible," Rebecca reassured her. "Yeah, it is. It could be argued that they actually adopted me since I was grown in a lab and have had my genetics rapidly accelerated so I aged faster, but it wouldn't be accurate."

"So you are a clone?" James said. "That's pretty interesting. Do you have any hobbies, or a favorite subject in school?"

"You're taking that whole 'clone' thing fairly well, Mister Possible."

"I will admit it isn't everyday you hear someone say they're a clone," he told her. "But why should that matter? I look at it as being similar to hearing that someone's adopted, or gay, or something similar. It's an interesting fact, but it doesn't really tell you about who the person as a whole is."

"Very open-minded of you. And, yes, I kinda do have a hobby. I like fighting. Not getting into fights, but . . . well, like what Kim and I ended up spending several hours doing."

"Martial arts – or however you'd like to call it – is an interesting hobby to have. Very healthy, too, as long as you remember to moderate it."

"As for school . . . I've never been. My education has been entirely 'home-schooled' as it were, and flash-imprint learning."

"What's-"

"-that?"

"It's where the information is downloaded into a cerebral analysis cap while you're unconscious, and then 'flashed' into your brain via specially-pulsed beta rays."

"Do you have any other interests besides martial arts?" Ann asked.

"Well, I do like to read, and I'm pretty good at chess," Rebecca admitted. "I think I'd like shopping, though I've never been. It's . . . really hard to do such benign activities when you're living in a Global Justice facility and haven't had any real, personal contact with the outside world."

"Is that why your parents asked me to do this?" Kim asked.

"Kinda. If you asked my mom-"

"Which one?" Kim said, then blushed. "Sorry; didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's cool. Isabella Shaw is 'mom' and Betty is 'mother,' if that helps." Kim nodded, so Rebecca went on. "My mom would tell you that's her real reason for this. To give me experience living an actual life, being around people, interacting with them. My mother, of course, has to have an 'official' reason for me being here, to placate her bosses on the United Nations Security Council."

"So are you still rapidly aging?" Kim's dad asked.

"Oh, no, no I'm not. The accelerated aging is only applied when I'm in a suspension tube, and it's only done in limited bursts at one time. I looked about ten years old, physically, at this time last year. But the accelerated aging was put on hold indefinitely about three months ago."

"You're really a special girl, you know that?" James said with a smile.

"That's what my parents tell me – and _not_ just because I can melt solid steel with my hands."

Everyone had a good laugh at that.

There had been more talking after that, of course, but soon enough supper was over. Kim, completely out of character for her based on the past week, volunteered to do the dishes. Rebecca offered to help, and the way she did it caused Ann and James to share a secret smile. Once the dishes were done, Kim and Rebecca headed up to the redhead's room where they changed into their sleepwear.

"Do you want me to . . . you know, be with you again tonight?" Rebecca asked, her manner hesitant and shy. The undercurrent question was _Would you like me to do that again?_ Kim hesitated before answering, really wanting to think about that first.

"I-If you don't . . . mind, that is," she said, stammering a bit.

"It would be my pleasure," Rebecca replied, then blushed because of it. Kim had blushed, too, and the two of them spent a couple of moments avoiding looking at each other.

"I . . . I had fun today," the shimmer-haired girl said. "The sparring, you know."

"Yeah," Kim agreed. "I did, too."

"Was . . . was it like when you fought Shego?"

"A little," the teen hero admitted. "But . . . but it was also better, in a way."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, with Shego, it was always her keeping me from stopping Drakken so it was way serious. With you, though, it was . . . it was fun. We weren't trying to hurt each other or anything, just doing our best against each other. Sometimes, it's like I knew what you were going to do before you did it."

"I know what you mean. It wasn't that you were telegraphing what you were going to do; it was more like . . . well, more like I knew you well enough to know what you'd do."

"Exactly!" Kim agreed. She sobered a bit, though. "How did you feel about learning that Shego is really your sister?"

"It was a surprise – a big one – but it hurt my mom, though."

"Why?"

"The last time she'd seen Shego – Samantha – she'd been a little ten-year-old girl who looked as normal as you did. And sixteen years later she finds out that her oldest daughter got super powers and became a villain after being a super hero."

"That's so the drama."

"She had to have some time alone, but it all worked out, I think. I'm sure she wants to try to talk to Samantha – Shego – again, learn about her daughter's life. I just hope Shego doesn't hate her, or blame her for what happened."

"I'm sure things will work out," Kim said, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Your mom has you and Betty there for her."

"Thanks, Kim," Rebecca replied, smiling. "That means a lot." For a little while, things were quiet.

"So, are you going to ask?" Kim asked.

"Ask what?"

"Oh, come on, Firefly. I can see the question you're wanting to ask in your eyes."

"Firefly?"

"Oh, my God, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to give you a pet name - I mean nickname – I mean-"

"It's alright, Kim," Rebecca said with a good chuckle. "My mom calls me 'Firefly' sometimes but I didn't really like it. I . . . um, I like it when you say it, though." Once again, both of them were blushing.

"So, um, you're . . . you're a lesbian."

"Y-Yeah. I mean, it was kinda news for me, too, about a week ago. I mean, I was always that way, since that's part of who I am, but it wasn't until last week that everything just . . . clicked, you know?"

"Um, not . . . not really," the super-powered teen said. "I've . . . well, I've never really had a chance to discover myself completely. I don't know if I like boys, or girls, or both, or neither or whatever."

"Maybe . . . maybe now you can," Kim replied quietly.

"Yeah . . ." Rebecca agreed, just as quietly. And even though neither really wanted to end the conversation, neither of them could keep themselves awake much longer. Soon both of them were fast asleep, with Kim curled up with her back against Rebecca's front, and Rebecca's arms wrapped around her.

The next day, Kim and Rebecca woke up at more decent time and had breakfast with everyone else. When Ann asked what their plans were for the day, Kim had replied that they were going to do the shopping that they'd meant to do yesterday. When they'd gotten dressed, the two of them walked to the Middleton Mall. It took longer than driving there, but neither girl minded; they simply enjoyed the chance to talk to one other. Rebecca had a lot of questions about school in general and Kim's in particular. When they'd gotten to the mall, Kim took her straight to Club Banana where they ran into Monique.

"Hey, GF!" the chocolate-skinned girl said, grabbing Kim into a hug. "You're looking a whole lot better than the last time I saw you."

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Kim," Rebecca said.

"Oh, um, Monique is my _girlfriend_ girlfriend," the redhead said blushing. "She's-"

"I'm Kim's best _straight_ girl friend," Monique explained. "I'm her best friend that's a girl. I call all of my female friends GF. I don't swing her way."

"Oh! Okay. I'm sorry."

"NBD, girl. So, Kim, you gonna introduce me?"

"'NBD?'"

"It means 'No Big Deal,'" Kim explained. "Rebecca, this is Monique. Monique, this is Rebecca Shaw. She's staying with me for a while."

"And she's the one who helped get you out of that funk you've been in," the chocolate-skinned girl said with a knowing grin. Then her smile faded. "Bonnie's here, and she's making a beeline for you, Kim. I'll see you later." Before Kim could say anything, Monique had gone off to help another customer.

"So, Kim, feeling down today?" Bonnie said, coming to a stop before the redhead and crossing her arms.

"I was," Kim replied. Then Bonnie caught sight of Rebecca.

"And who's the weirdo you're with?"

"I'm Rebecca," she replied, smirking. "I'm Freakville, which is over in Fuckoffistan."

Both Bonnie and Kim's jaws dropped; Kim's in shock and Bonnie's in disbelief that someone would talk like _that_ to her. "Oh," Rebecca continued, "I forgot it's also next to the Buzzoff Repbulic." Without even another word, Bonnie whirled around angrily and stalked off. Rebecca then turned and saw Kim, and her her face flushed pink.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"For what?" Kim asked, getting over her shock. "I've _never_ gotten Bonnie to walk off like that so fast."

"I just didn't like her attitude," Rebecca admitted.

"Well, that was just spankin'!" the redhead replied, smiling. "Now, let's go find Monique and get something new for your wardrobe."

By the time they left Club Banana, they had two bags full of new clothes for Rebecca; casual wear, formal wear, undergarments, and what Monique called 'sexy wear.' She'd said that with a wink at the ivory-skinned teen, who hadn't gotten her meaning. They'd actually just gotten back to Kim's house and set the bags on her bed when the kimmunicator went off. This time, though, Kim actually answered it.

"Hey, Wade. What's the sitch?"

 _"Glad to be hearing that, Kim,"_ the young genius said.

"Glad to be saying it again."

 _"The site got a hit from Germany. Apparently, Professor Dementor is threatening to blow up Berlin with some kind of 'death ray' laser."_

"I'm on it, Wade."

 _"Want me to get Ron?"_

"He's . . . he's gone to Japan, Wade. According to his mom, anyway."

 _"I can have him back here easily. Or at least meet you in Germany."_

"No big, Wade," Kim said, looking over at Rebecca. "I've already got backup. And . . . I don't really want to deal with Ron right now."

 _"Yeah, he was way too dramatic about your coming out."_

"You knew about that?"

 _"Kim, I could tell you were into girls instead of guys almost from the beginning. And I'd get ready; your ride's almost there. Oh, and I've worked out the quirks in the battle suit, and shielded it against electrical surges."_

"You rock, Wade," Kim said, shutting off the device. Then she looked over at Rebecca and found her with a surprised and awed expression on her face. "What?"

"You're . . . going on a mission?" the other girl asked weakly. "And you . . . you want me to go with you?"

"Besides the fact that I know you can handle yourself and you're right here, I did have one other reason for wanting you along," Kim replied, blushing.

"W-What's that?"

"I . . . I . . . _want_ you to come." The two then found themselves hugging for a moment before getting ready. Kim slipped into the white and blue battle suit Wade had created to help her deal with Shego on even footing. When she looked over at Rebecca, she found herself unable to look away. Rebecca had stripped herself naked and was slipping into a red and black catsuit that was made in the same style as Shego's, but with a more harlequinn pattern. When she'd zipped up her catsuit and slipped on the plasm-conducive gloves, Rebecca turned and found Kim staring at her slack-jawed.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh! Um, uh, mmm . . . nothing," Kim said, turning redder than parts of Rebecca's outfit. "Now . . . let's go kick some ass!"

 _Germany, Outside Berlin_

"Vhat is taking zhose _p_ _ossenreißer_ so long?" Professor Dementor growled as stood next to his Thermonon-nuclear Positronic Energy Conductive Cannon. "My demands vere simple. Zhey give me control of Germany, or I vill blow up Berlin and take over zhe country anyvay."

"They were waiting for us," came the one voice Dementor had not wanted to hear. "Kim Possible!" he snarled as he whirled around. But then he became confused. "Vhere is your buffoon?"

"Ron's off the team," Kim said. "This is my new partner, Rebecca."

"It matters not who you have vith you," Dementor said dismissively. He waved a hand and a couple dozen henchment began approaching the two teens. "You vill not stand against me zhis time!"

"Game time?" Kim asked, looking over at Rebecca.

"Game on!" the other girl agreed, and the two sprang at the henchmen. Dementor's jaw dropped as he watched the two young women fight. Though moving in different ways and directions, they fought as though they were one, their movements and attacks coordinated. But not a word passed between them; it was as if they could tell what the other was thinking. Kicks and punches flew, with the twin femme fatales avoiding the attacks of the clumsy-by-comparison henchman. When the last one had fallen, Kim flipped up to her feet and cupped a hand to spring Rebecca up into the air. Clasping her hands together, she activated her plasma and let herself fall into Dementor's laser, slamming her hands into the device and shattering it.

After that, it didn't take long for German authorities to arrive and arrest the mad scientist. The German government paid for the girls' trip all the way back to Middleton as a 'thank you' for stopping Dementor. Naturally, the two had been filmed and lauded by the German news media for their heroic actions. Both Kim and Rebecca were embarrassed by the attention and praise, but just tried to get through it without being rude and disrespectful.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

When they'd gotten back to Kim's home, the two girls could not stop talking about the mission. Both of them were talking up the other one while downplaying their own actions. Kim's parents were in the living room when Kim and Rebecca had gotten back, and listened to them talk as they headed up to Kim's room. Though they did worry about their daughter when she went on her missions, both Ann and James were smiling now. While they had trusted Ron to help Kim out, it seemed as though Rebecca was just the match she needed.

"I can tell you know what's going to eventually happen," James said, looking over at his wife.

"It's pretty obvious, James," Ann said, smiling. "Ronald was a nice boy, but Rebecca is, I believe, the perfect match for our daughter. It'll just take a few months for both of them to realize it."

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice Headquarters_

Betty and Isabella were sitting on the couch in the living room of their quarters when they saw the news report about the incident in Germany. The reporter, who was from a British news station, credited the new Team Possible for stopping Professor Dementor and saving Berlin. Betty reached over and used the remote to shut off the TV.

"It looks like you were right, Cyclops," Isabella said, smiling. "Rebecca and Kim needed each other."

"It was more hopeful than anticipatory, Kitten," Betty replied. "But I _am_ glad that my trust in Kim wasn't misplaced." She returned her wife's smile. "Team Possible has returned."

 **E/N:** I know it's a short chapter, but I felt that extending it further wouldn't be a good thing.

Kim and Rebecca have their sparring match, which lasts a lot longer than it seemed, Rebecca out-bitches Bonnie, and the two teens save Berlin from Dementor. Kim's good mood seems to be a bit more permanent now, and Rebecca has found someone she can absolutely trust. Just where will Kim and Rebecca's relationship go from here? And what are Samantha and Ellen up to? Check out the next chapter of Red Flame, "Drawing Closer," to find out.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 6 – Drawing Closer**

 _Colorado Rockies, Shego's Lair_

"I didn't think it'd be that easy," Ellen said, staring at the screen. On it was a myriad of frozen images: Dementor being led away to a waiting vehicle, German law enforcement rounding up henchmen, the German military taking posession of Dementor's laser . . . and one that showed Kim Possible with another young woman, one who was dressed in a way similar to Samantha.

"This _is_ supposed to be our opening move," the green-skinned woman reminded her, all the while glaring at the image of Kim and the mystery girl.

"Even so, that was less than satisfactory." Ellen looked over at her lover and noticed her face. "What's got your panties in a twist? It isn't just seeing Kim Possible."

"No, it's the other girl," Samantha growled. "She's wearing an outfit like mine-"

"-which is something that's stupid to be made about," the gray-skinned woman interrupted.

"-and she has _my_ face."

 _That_ stopped any further response from Ellen. Turning back to the console, she pressed several keys and banished all images but that one, then zoomed that image so it took up the entire monitor. Now that she was paying attention, Ellen realized that Samantha was right. Whoever Kim Possible's new teammate was, she looked exactly like Samantha had ten years ago. Except for ivory-colored skin, orange irises, and that shimmery hair that looked black and blood red at the same time (yet looked like neither color at once).

"Wait a minute," Ellen said. "I thought you said Kim Possible's partner was a blond, clumsy boy?"

"That's who it was the last time I fought her."

"So then where is he, and who is this?"

"Like I can answer that! And I _want_ answers to that! Who the hell _is_ that?! Why the _fuck_ does she look like me when I was sixteen?!" Samantha screamed.

"I don't have the answers, okay?!" the gray-skinned woman snapped. "We have a new variable in the equation that'll have to be taken into account. Since we've just started this plan, that won't upset anything. The core of the plan is to stress Kim Possible out and wear her down. Whoever this new partner of her is, her presence won't affect the plan in the long-run."

"I still don't like it," Samantha replied petulantly. The other villainess smirked at her angrily pouting expression.

"Look, while we're . . . enticing the other villains into launching their schemes for world domination or whatever, we'll begin figuring out who this mystery copy of you is," Ellen said. "It could take some time, though; I'm a technical and mechanical genius, not a hacker. And I wouldn't even know where to start looking for information. So we'll just take that one step at a time, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," her lover said dismissively, though Ellen could tell that she was somewhat mollified by that. The electrical villainess stood up and walked over to her plasma-powered partner. Pressing herself against the other woman's back, Ellen wrapped her arms around her lover's waist and rested her head against her back.

"In the end it won't matter who she is, you know," Ellen whispered.

"And . . . and why is that?" Samantha asked, feeling oddly comforted.

"Because when all is said and done, there's only one Samantha Gibbs . . . only one _Shego_."

A soft smile grew on Samantha's face. "Yeah, that's true," she agreed, turning around in her lover's embrace. When their eyes met, a lot was communicated between them that mere words would have been unable to convey. There was still pain and betrayal in Ellen's eyes, but now there was also compassion and (at least) lust. Samantha's eyes held apprehension and sorrow, as well as the same lust that was in her lover's eyes – but there was also a bit of hope being communicated.

"Don't," Ellen whispered, seeing the question forming in Samantha's eyes. "You made the wrong decision back then. You ruined the life we were trying to build together. And . . . I didn't really help matters, either. But that's in the past. It can't be changed. The trust we had . . . that'll have to re-earned. We both know that. Right now, though, the physical desire we had for each other is good enough for now, isn't it?"

"You're right," Samantha agreed, just as softly. "Nothing can ever be the same between us, not like it was back then. I'm . . . I'm just stunned that you'd even want to have anything more than a _professional_ relationship between us, much less build a new intimate one with me."

"All those years in prison, I wanted nothing more than to punish you for your betrayal. And to get revenge on those who mislead you. Then you came and broke me out. Sure, it was for purely selfish reasons, and you knew I'd be wanting to exact vengeance against you. I don't really know what changed or how but it has. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for what you did . . . but I'm willing to give you a second chance."

"Ellen-" Samantha started to say, only to be cut off by the other woman's lips on her own. Soon, the two of them lost themselves to that kiss and stood there for an eternity in a moment.

 _Middleton, Middleton High_

"Class, attention!" barked Coach Barkin, snapping everyone's attention to him. Standing with him at the front of the class was Kim Possible and a new girl. "Alright, everyone, listen up! This here is Rebecca Shaw. She'll be going to Middleton High now. She is an exchange student and is staying with Miss Possible – but don't think that means you'll be getting an special treatment, Possible."

"Like that happens anyway," Kim muttered under her breath.

"Alright, Possible. You and your friend go sit in those seats near the back," the ex-military man said. Once they'd taken their seats, Barkin spoke again. "I'll be substituting for Miss Swift for the next few days. _Apparently_ she broke her leg while playing roller derby. I have her notes and lesson plan right here, so let's begin."

"This is certainly a different experience than what I've had before," Rebecca said as she and Kim sat down at a table for lunch.

"How do you mean?" Kim asked, looking over at her. The shimmer-haired girl gave her a look.

"My only educational experience has been one-on-one tutoring sessions with Global Justice 'educational specialists,'" she replied. "I've never had classmates or homeroom or anything like that. You've grown up with stuff like that, so it's different for you that it is for me."

"You do have a point, Firefly," the redhead said.

"Um, Kim?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you . . . can you not call me that?"

"Oh, um, yeah, sure."

"It's not . . . bad or anything; it's just that's what my mom calls me and it's kinda weird to have someone I really like calling me that." As soon as those words had left Rebecca's mouth both of them had froze and were blushing. Fortunately, the moment wasn't able to get any more awkward because Monique came to the table.

"Hey, GFs!" she said brightly. "What's shakin'?"

Both girls snapped out of their trance and looked at her.

"Oh, hey, Monique!" Kim said.

"YLGG," the mocha-colored girl said to Rebecca, who looked at Kim a bit helplessly

"'You Look Good, Girl,'" Kim translated, her blush starting to fade. Monique looked from one to the other, and a smile grew on her face as she realized just what was going on between them – even though both of them were unaware of it.

"So how is it going with you two lovebirds?" she said with subtly false innocence. When both Kim and Rebecca blushed, she knew she was right. This would have to be done _just right_ , considering Kim's still fragile emotional state and what she guessed was Rebecca's relative innocence. "Well?"

"I think school's fine," Rebecca replied, just a bit too fast.

"Really?" Monique asked, trying to steer the converastion away from the awkwardness but also wanting to figure out what was going on.

"Like I'd said to Kim, I've never been in an actual school before. I was . . . homeschooled before."

"No big, GF. I'd offer to help you out with your social skills, but based on how you handled Bonnie yesterday, you don't need it," Monique replied with a chuckle. Then her grin broadened. "SOTD."

"Huh?" Rebecca said, but her question was somewhat answered by someone behind her.

"So the weirdo is here, too?" Bonnie said.

"Yep, I sure am," Rebecca agreed, turning around and facing Bonnie. With the brunette were two other girls, a blond and another (but lighter shade) brunette. "Back for round two, sourpuss?"

"I'm the head cheerleader here, thanks to Possible stepping aside, so you might want to check that attitude," the brunette growled, somehow managing to sound snooty at the same time. She was shocked when the new girl burst into laughter.

"'Check that attitude,'" Rebecca said, laughing. "Really? _That's_ the best warning you can do?" She managed to stop laughing, though her grin wouldn't fade away. "Let me tell you something, Slideshow. I'm not here to win a popularity contest, nor to get into your good favor. I'm here to learn. Unlike you, I've trained in a few martial arts styles. I can, quite literally, break a stack of bricks with my hand. It's not a threat or anything like that; just an assessment of my skills. If you want to be 'Miss Popular Cheerleader Bigshot,' go right ahead. But name-calling and put-downs aren't gonna work with me. Now," she finished, "if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my lunch." Then she turned right around and went back to her food, leaving Bonnie standing there open-mouthed with stunned disbelief. The blond girl gently grabbed Bonnie's arm and steered her away.

"Girl, I am so 'whoa!' right now," Monique said, not bothering to disguise the fact that she was beyond impressed.

"It's nothing," Rebecca mumbled, blushing an even darker shade of pink. She tried to keep her attention on her food, so she completely missed the look that Kim was giving her. Monique didn't, though; the expression on Kim's face, Monique saw, was the same look someone would have when finding water after wandering in the desert for a very long time.

After that encounter at lunch, Kim was actually surprised when Bonnie didn't bother her once. She still remembered that day at the mall when the brunette had seemed to be concerned about her, but with Kim apparently out of her funk Bonnie had apparently decided that compassion wasn't needed any longer. As Kim and Rebecca walked home, the redhead realized that if she had bounced back on her own Bonnie would've been nastier. Especially since Ron wasn't around – which Bonnie would've used against her. But with Rebecca around, at least in their last two encounters, Bonnie never had a chance to really get started on Kim. And the shimmer-haired girl always seemed to be ready from a snarky or informatively snarky comeback.

"Thanks," Kim said as they walked.

"For what?" Rebecca asked, confused; she hadn't been aware of Kim's train of thought.

"For . . . you know, dealing with Bonnie."

"It's . . . it really isn't a big deal," she replied, embarassed now but smiling.

"It is so the drama to me," Kim explained. "Bonnie's been giving me a hard time ever since I not only made it onto the cheer squad but became squad captain. She's . . . her family's pretty rich, they certainly have more money than my family does, and she seems to think that that makes her the superior person."

"It's that attitude I really don't like," Rebecca said quietly. "Until I began staying with you, I hadn't much experience with the world itself. But I was raised with a strong sense of right and wrong, and a desire to always do my best no matter what. In spite of all of that, though, I have a low tolerance for people with Bonnie's attitude." She looked over at her friend and smiled. "Are you going to go back to cheerleading one day?"

"I . . . I'm not sure," the redhead admitted. "I dropped off the squad because of what I was going through, and though I've been much better since you got here . . . I still don't really feel like I'm back to that."

"Hey, it's cool," Rebecca said, still with a smile. "I mean, I don't know how I'd be after going through what you did, but I think you've done great."

"I wouldn't be doing this . . . great . . . if it weren't for you," Kim said, looking down at her feet and blushing. Rebecca, too, suddenly found her feet of great interest. Neither of them really knew what to say now, though they each wanted to say something.

"I'm not all that special," Rebecca finally said, after they'd walked in a somewhat awkward silence. "I'm just . . . me. I mean, yeah, I have super powers, and I can heal pretty quick, too. I'm good at martial arts and stuff, but I'm . . . not special."

"Don't talk like that," Kim said, causing the other girl to look at her. "It's not what you have or what you can do that makes you special; it's who you are that makes you special. If you hadn't come around, I'd probably still be pretty depressed. I was getting through school 'okay,' which is different from how I used to be. I was barely eating and taking care of myself, crying myself to sleep most nights." She finally looked up at Rebecca. "Then you came along and things have only been getting better." They were now at the Possible residence, but neither girl made a move to go was all new to Rebecca, and she didn't know what to say. No one had ever told her that she'd, basically, saved them. She wanted to help people, and not just because she was meant to or because she wanted to be like the girl she'd looked up to, Kim Possible. She wanted to do it because _she_ wanted to do it.

And Rebecca had just been told by her hero that her first 'rescue' had been of that hero; or at least of her emotional state. She didn't know what to say, though looking into Kim's eyes made her feel like she was falling into them. Then there was a sound from in the house and the spell was broken. But as the two young woman went inside to do their homework, neither of them forgot that feeling, though they didn't quite know what that feeling was.

After they'd gotten their homework done, Kim and Rebecca went to the backyard to do some more sparring. Their session wasn't as intense as it had been on Saturday, but it was still a good workout. And it let them get to know each other better in ways words couldn't really do. Ann watched her daughter and Rebecca as they traded blows back and forth. Though they were putting a lot of effort into it, she got the feeling that it is more about fun and pushing each other to do better. If Ann was honest with herself, and she was, she really didn't care too much about how the girls spent their time; she was just happy that Kim was getting back into living. She could see the romance blossoming between the two young women, and was certain both of them were, at the moment, blind to it. She wasn't sure what would come of it, but Rebecca's personality and zest had been just what Kim had needed. Just as she watched them finish up, she heard the phone ring.

When Kim and Rebecca came back inside, they were both talking about how good the other was and going over the fight. It was obvious that both of them had had a lot of fun, even though both girls were sporting some bruises from failing to block something or from hitting the ground a bit too hard. As they passed through the kitchen, Ann came back in from the den.

"Oh, Rebecca," she said upon catching sight of them.

"Yes, Missus Possible?" she asked.

"Your mother just called."

"She did? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, dear, everything's fine. She was just calling to check up on you, see how you doing. If you were adjusting well." Ann smiled at Rebecca. "I told her that everything was going fine, and that you and Kim were getting along very well. She did also say that her and your mom would be coming for a visit sometime this week."

"I do miss them," Rebecca admitted. "This is the first time I've ever really been away from both of them. It's been some work having to adjust to that, but it's been much easier thanks to Kim and all of you." Ann made note of the fact that the girl – whether consciously or unconsciously – had differentiated Kim and her family.

"You can see them again when they come," she told her. "And you're more than welcome to call them up whenever you'd like, though I must ask that you not do so too early or late in the day."

"Yes, ma'am," Rebecca said.

"Now, run along and clean up, you two. Supper will be ready soon."

 _Two days later_

It was Wednesday afteroon when Betty and Isabella showed up at the Possible residence. They'd gotten there before school let out, though not much sooner, and had only just sat down with coffee (Betty) and tea (Isabella) when Kim and Rebecca walked through the door. They'd been talking about the school day and were making fun of Coach Barkin's no-nonsense attitude when the shimmer-haired girl caught sight of her parents. With a shout of joy, she dropped her pack and ran to them, giving them both hugs when they'd stood up. Kim watched with a smile on her face. Her friend was really happy to see her parents, of course, but what really made Kim smile was seeing Betty Director with her guards down. The older, one-eyed woman looked truly happy right then. Seeing Rebecca and her moms reminded Kim of her own family, and she hoped to one day be like that with her own wife.

When everyone had sat down, Rebecca didn't even wait for her moms to ask any questions before launching into an enthusiastic summary of what had happened so far. Betty and Isabella were rather critical of Rebecca's behavior towards Bonnie Rockwaller, but Kim kinda jumped in on that and stated that Bonnie was always like that. The fact that Rebecca had refrained from anything more than verbal jabs was seen by her parents as a good sign. After a bit more time talking, Ann reminded the two girls that they had homework to do and they went upstairs to Kim's room. Once she was sure they were out of earshot, Ann looked at her two visitors and said, "Okay, now that they're out of the room and busy, why don't one of you tell me what's worrying you."

"In our conversation a couple of days ago," Betty said without preamble, "you mentioned that Rebecca had brought up the topic of the accelerated aging techniques used on her."

"Other than what I told you was said, nothing more has been spoken on it since," the elder Possible said.

"It's what I need to talk to _you_ about, though," Isabella told her. When Ann indicated that she was listening, the raven-haired woman went on. "The techniques used to rapildy age Rebecca are completely experimental and therefore extremely untested."

"She did say it was stopped about three months ago," Ann put in.

"There are some reasons for that. The first is that the accelerated aging has to been in series so as to carefully monitor development and adjustments. Another is that she needs time to adjust to the changes made to her and to experience life at each stage. But, for me, the most important reason has to do with her stability."

"Stability?"

"Of her genetic matrix," Isabella clarified. "There are so many unknowns with genetic acceleration, about bringing cells to their maturity much faster than nature intended. After her last series, which was about three months ago, my staff and I were examining Rebecca's DNA profile when we noticed some rather disquieting things." She took a shuddering breath, and felt her wife's hand on her shoulder. Looking over at Betty and smiling gratefully, she returned her attention to Kim's mom. "Her cellular structure is weakening. Her genetic code has become fragile. I wasn't sure, then or even now, how to re-stabilize it; which is why I've put a stop to the accelerated aging process indefinitely."

"You're worried that she may be dying," Ann reasoned, her tone sympathetic.

"Yes," Isabella whispered, leaning into her wife's arms.

"We wanted her to be able to experience 'real life,'" Betty explained, holding her wife close. "Just in case that is what is happening. The accelerated aging was done to bring Rebecca to maturity as fast as possible, so she'd be ready to take on Shego or any other super villains that are out there." Betty smiled, albeit sadly. "I've drawn criticism and threats from my superiors, but I've put the entire resources of Global Justice – as much as I possibly can – to researching and developing a way to strengthen our daughter's DNA."

"You see, Ann," Isabella said, "if Rebecca's DNA matrix becomes too unstable, too weak, it could start unraveling. And that would mean death. Not instantly, but over the span of hours; she would begin aging at an exponentially-increasing rate."

"What would cause something like that to happen?" Ann asked, horrified at the news.

"I have no idea, and that's what makes it even worse for me," Betty's wife said. "It could happen for no reason whatsoever, or be caused by a moderate injury or blood loss. I don't know."

"I'll be keeping a closer eye on her," Ann said, reaching out and placing a hand on Isabella's knee. "I have let her know that she can call you whenever she needs or wants to, and I'll make sure that Kim gives her one of those communication devices she uses for her missions. That way she won't have to wait to borrow the phone here."

"Thank you, Ann," Betty replied, smiling.

Fortunately, the three adults were able to finish that conversation – and for Rebecca's parents to compose themselves again – before Kim and Rebecca came down after finishing their homework. Ann invited Betty and Isabella to dinner, and they readily accepted. Ann made it an outdoor buffet meal, since it would've been a bit crowded around the dinner table. It also made the gathering more close and intimate, since it gave Jim and Tim an excuse to run around and play with their inventions, and also let everyone watch an impromptu sparring match between Kim and Rebecca. Like Ann, Rebecca's parents – and Ann's husband, James – saw the budding romance between the two girls. Seeing that actually lightened Betty and Isabella's hearts, giving them the hope that one day, perhaps, Rebecca could have the happiness that she deserved.

Before her parents left, Rebecca made sure she had promised to call them as often as she could. And Kim gave the other girl her own kimmunicator right then, too, and had told her that now she would be able to call them whenever she needed to. Rebecca was really grateful and happy about that, and threw her arms around Kim in a hug that went a bit beyond friendship – a hug which Kim returned with the same intensity. The two of them had helped to tidy up the dishes before heading up to shower (separately, of course).

When they'd climbed onto Kim's bed – Ann had removed the 'guest bed' earlier in the day since it had never gotten used – they didn't go to sleep right away. It wasn't because they weren't exhausted, which they actually were, but because Rebecca was happy to have been able to see her parents again and just wanted to talk about it. Kim was happy to sit there and listen to the other girl; Rebecca talked about the birthdays she'd had, how she sometimes worried her moms on purpose (though she always regretted it), and other tidbits of her comparitively short life. And when they couldn't keep their eyes opened, they laid down in the bed in the manner that had become their habit: Rebecca would stretch out first, then Kim would snuggle up against her (back-to-front), and Rebecca would let her arm drape over Kim's abs. Kim had quietly admitted the night before that she didn't want to stop because she was afraid her nightmares would come back. Rebecca didn't have the heart or desire to stop, anyway. Even though it had only been a little less than a week since they'd first met, the shimmer-haired girl already regarded Kim as a close – very close – friend. She would do anything that made Kim happy or feel better.

And as they drifted off to sleep, both of them unknowingly wore the exact same smile.

 _Colorado Rockies, Shego's Lair_

"It's been a few days, Ellen," Samantha said a little irritably. "We both agreed that Dementor's defeat happened faster than it should have, and I thought we were going to step things up!"

"Patience is the key to revenge, Sam," Ellen replied, knowing that that nickname was one she hated. "It did take some time to subtely manipulate another villain into concocting some sort of scheme according to _our_ schedule, but rest assured something will be happening in the next couple of days."

"Patience has never been one of my strong points, Ellie."

"Unless it deals with sex."

"True. So who's our next pawn?"

"Duff Killigan."

"That skirt-wearing golf nut?"

"Technically it's a kilt."

"Who gives a fuck?"

"Killigan, obviously," Ellen said, smiling at their exchange. It was feeling a bit like old times, even though what had happened to drive them apart back then was never far from their minds.

"So what's his plan?" Samantha asked.

"Does it really matter? _What_ he does isn't as important as it _being_ done," the gray-skinned woman said. "Having these 'attacks' spaced out every few days at first will lower the possibility of them being linked together. It'll take a few months of this before we move to the second stage of the plan. Revenge, by necessity, is better as a long-term effort. _Especially_ the kind of revenge we're aiming for."

"It's just so frustrating and _boring_ to wait like this," the green-skinned woman growled.

"I know a way we could pass the time."

"You're insatiable, you know that?"

"Maybe I am, but you haven't been complaining so far."

"And I don't plan on starting."

 **E/N:** And there's the sixth chapter. Things are slowly but surely coming along for Kim and Rebecca. Betty and Isabella have explained a bit more about the accelerated aging used on Rebecca – and the biggest danger of what it means.

And as Duff Killigan unknowingly moves Samantha and Ellen's plan forward, so to does the relationship between Kim and Rebecca move forward. The future is always uncertain, and can only be affected by the actions taken in the present. But the new Team Possible is unaware of the danger they're facing, and just how it will impact their future. Only way to find out is to wait for the next chapter in Red Flame, "Another One Down."

(Side note here: I might not be able to write or update over the next couple of days. Depending on how things go, I may be able to do at least one chapter over the weekend, though.)


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 7 – Another One Down**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

For Kim, Friday was that 'magical' day when school was over for at least two days, which meant she (usually) didn't have to worry about Bonnie's attitude. Ever since Rebecca had come to stay with her and her family, though, she hadn't really had to worry about Bonnie at all. The brunette had seemed determined to make fun of Rebecca, and to try to get back to undermining Kim. But Rebecca's rather blunt counters – and Bonnie's inability to offend her – frustrated the girl's attempts to do so. Right now, Kim and Rebecca were laying on Kim's bed, talking. The redhead was sort of lounging, with her back against the headboard, and the red/black-haired girl was laying on her stomach, but with her head at the head of the bed.

"Is Bonnie on medication or something?" Rebecca asked, making Kim laugh. "What?"

"No," the teen hero replied, laughing.

"Bi-polar, then?"

"If only," Kim said, laughing harder.

"What's so funny?"

"Bonnie's just naturally a bitch."

"Oh," Rebecca said, thinking. Then she got why Kim found her questions funny and began laughing herself. "I didn't think school would be so much fun!"

"Fun? You think school is fun?" Kim asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah. Remember, until this past week, I'd never been out and around people my own age. It was always adults that were around me, not kids. And some of them didn't like me at all. I used to have a temper issue, even as a 'little kid,' and they'd amuse themselves by making me angry. I'd always be about ready to do something when Mom would show up. I'd get in trouble, and so would those who had been insulting me, but they wouldn't care because they'd gotten a rise out of me. So my mom taught me patience, somehow, and to just not worry what anyone else thought of me. That only _I_ could choose who mattered to me."

"I never thought of it that way," the redhead admitted. Then she shook her head. "I can't believe you like homework, though."

"You do, too," Rebecca retorted playfully.

"Well, yeah, kind of. I don't think it's a burden or a bother, but it's not something I really find fun."

"Maybe I just have a different perspective on things."

"That isn't a bad thing," Kim told her. "As much as I like hearing how much you're enjoying the 'outside world,' can we talk about something other than school? It _is_ Friday, after all."

"Of course! I didn't mean to bother you," the red/black-haired girl said apologetically.

"No big."

"So . . . what would you like to talk about?"

"I . . . I'm not sure," Kim said. "I mean, I've asked a lot of questions about you since you've been here, and you've answered each one."

"Well, why don't I ask you questions about you?" Rebecca suggested. "Would that be okay? The sparring we've done has let me know who you are, but I don't know any details about your life. Well, not many, anyway."

"I don't mind," the teen hero said with a smile.

"I'll start with the obvious one, then: are you really a lesbian?"

"Yeah. I've been one my whole life since it's part of who I am, but it was only a couple of weeks ago that I realized it. I'm not any different than anyone else. I just prefer girls to guys. I'll still talk about attractive guys and all, but they don't really interest me."

"That is so cool!" Rebecca said, making Kim blush.

"Not everyone feels that way. I'm sure that if you weren't there verbally knocking Bonnie away, she'd probably be hounding my ass about quitting the squad – making me a loser in her eyes – and for not being able to keep a guy at all, even a dork like Ron."

"Isn't he your friend and teammate?" the other girl asked, confused.

"Yeah, he is; ever since pre-K. But I still think he's a dork. When we were friends, I'd just accept his dorkiness as being part of who he was."

"You're not friends anymore?"

"I haven't seen him for two weeks, ever since I came out to him. He . . . didn't take it well."

"Geez, I'm sorry."

"It's . . . no big. Actually, I feel better able to talk about it now. When you showed up, I was in a bad place, mentally. You pulled me out of it, and I for that I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, Kim. I was just so excited to meet my hero." As soon as she'd said that, Rebecca blushed. Kim was blushing, too, though it wasn't the first time she'd met one of her fans (her cousin Joss was one, though she had switched to Ron as her hero). But something about it being Rebecca right now sent a flutter through the redhead.

"Well, thank you, anyway," Kim said. "What about you? What's your sexual preference?"

"I . . . well, I don't really know," Rebecca admitted. "I've never really thought about the question before; haven't really had a reason to before . . ." At this, the red/black-haired girl grew silent, and her pink blush deepened even more.

"Before what?"

"Before . . . you," she replied softly, unable to meet her friend's eyes.

"Oh," Kim said, just as softly. Now the two of them were silent, though the silence wasn't uncomfortable nor was it awkward. There was something there, but neither girl could tell what it was. When Rebecca looked at Kim to see what she was doing, Kim had done the same to her.

Their eyes met and neither could look away. Something in the other's gaze held them each there, as though they were in freefall. Both could feel their pulses racing, but neither was afraid. There was something . . . reassuring about the sensation, something safe.

Then Kim's kimmunicator went off, shattering the spell. Rebecca and Kim blinked, coming back to themselves. As awareness of themselves and each other returned, they realized that their faces – their lips – were barely an inch apart. And yet, even without being spellbound by whatever had just happened, the two of them found themselves reluctant to move apart. But Kim's kimmunicator was still going off, so she reluctantly moved to answer it.

"Hey, Wade," she said, her tone a little husky. "What's the sitch?"

 _"Is everything alright, Kim?"_

"Wade . . ." Kim growled warningly, making Rebecca giggle.

 _"Oh, um, yeah. Uh, Duff Killigan is at it again."_

"What's he after this time?"

 _"He's trying to force the Italian government to give him the island of Ventotene to use as his own private golf course."_

"Got it, Wade. Ride?"

 _"Will be there in five minutes."_

"You rock, Wade," Kim said, signing off.

"We're going to fight Duff Killigan?" Rebecca asked excitedly. Kim chuckled and looked over at her.

"Yeah, we are."

"Rockin'!"

 _Italy, Near the island of Ventotene_

"Woo-hoo!" Rebecca shouted, laughing. Both Kim and the aircraft's pilot laughed at her reaction.

"Your friend seems to like fast rides, Miss Possible," he said.

"Well, this _is_ her first time in a hypersonic jet, Major Sanders," Kim replied. "By the way, thanks for the ride."

"Not a problem, Miss Possible. It's the least I can do after all your help."

"Oh, it was no big. Anybody with access to a lipstick laser and putty compounds could've resealed a leaking fuel tank on a plane going Mach Three."

"Whatever you say, Miss Possible. We're about two minutes from the drop zone. You two get into the bomb bay and seal up."

"Roger that," the redheaded teen said, then she and Rebecca did as he'd said. When they'd gotten in there and ready, Major Sanders's voice came over their helmets.

 _" Thirty seconds to drop, and our speed is below Mach One."_ There was a short pause. _"Alright, ladies, good luck. And . . . bombshells away."_

"What did he call us?" Rebecca asked, a split-second before the bomb bay's doors opened and they dropped out of the aircraft. Then Rebecca had no interest in speaking as she was screaming – but not in fear like Ron Stoppable. Instead it was one long, loud yell of exultation. Kim was grinning underneath her face mask; Rebecca was definitely more fun to bring along on a mission than Ron ever was. On the ride over, Kim had briefed the other girl on how to freefall, though Rebecca looked like a natural. _And an adrenaline junkie_ , she thought with a mental chuckle, knowing she herself was the same way.

Duff Killigan was in the port city terrorizing the natives and tourists with his exploding golf balls when he noticed that something was blocking the sunlight. Looking up, he dove out of the way with an accented yelp as two pairs of boots landed where he'd been. Climbing back to his feet, he brushed dirt off of his kilt, and glared at Kim Possible.

"Och, lass! Ye dinnae hae ta do tha'," he said. "Ye almost ruined me best kilt."

"I'll let you know when that bothers me," Kim said.

"He sounds funnier in person," Rebecca said, smirking.

"An' who might ye be, lass?" Duff asked. Then he got confused. "Where's tha' lad yer usually with?"

"You don't need to worry about that, Killigan. Now, give up."

"I dinnae think so, lass! Fore!" he yelled as dropped an exploding golf ball and whacked it at the teens. Kim and Rebecca moved out of the way, Kim diving right and Rebecca jumping up into the air. The shimmer-haired girl fired off a blast of plasma at the Scottish villain, forcing him to roll out of the way.

"Bloody 'ell!" he yelped. "Yer nae Shego, so how are ye throwin' tha' plasma?"

"Because I'm just that awesome!" Rebecca yelled back, smirking like the cat that ate the canary. She fired off another red plasma blast, forcing the villain to dodge while also allowing Kim to dash in. The redhead fired off a hooking kick as her partner landed. Killigan ducked the attack, though, and stepped back. "Hae a blast, lass," he said with a toothy grin. Kim looked down and saw a golf ball by her feet. She tried to backflip out of the way, but didn't quite make it when it exploded. The blast knocked her back a few yards, her tumbling flight arrested only by the intervention of a street lamp.

"Kim!" Rebecca shouted. Duff Killigan laughed.

"Tha's what ye get fer messin' with a Scotsman!" he gloated. He felt a bit less confident, though, when Rebecca turned her gaze on him. Her orange-ish eyes were flaring brighter, and her hands were glowing with plasma.

"Time to dance, skirt boy," she growled.

"Tha name's Killigan! Duff Killigan!" he hollered.

"Then it's time for a name change," she retorted right before launching herself at him. He began dropping and whacking golf balls as fast as he could. But Rebecca didn't even hesitate; she just flipped, rolled, jumped, and dodged his attacks while simultaneously blasting the golf balls before they could explode. As she moved and jumped around the increasingly frantic villain, Kim slowly regained consciousness, groaning as she sat up. She blinked her eyes and shook her head a bit, trying to clear her vision. When she was able to focus a bit, she remembered what was going on. Before she could say anything, a flash of red caught her attention. Looking, she felt her jaw drop. Rebecca was, literally, bouncing everywhere; almost like she couldn't stay still. And while she was flipping and dodging and zipping (yes, Kim was finally watching someone who could literally zip in real life), she was firing off micro-blasts of plasma, using her fingers to fire them off like a little kid pretending to have guns. She wasn't trying to hit Killigan though, Kim saw, but was blasting his trademark exploding golf balls out of the air each time he tried to whack one at her. Then she landed and seemed to miss one because it exploded right at her.

"Hah!" Killigan crowed. "Tha'll teach ye ta . . . mess with . . . me?" The last word became a bit of a whimper because the smoke had cleared by that point and Rebecca was visible. Standing there unharmed, with her hands glowing with supercharged red plasma. An evil, evil smirk formed on her face.

"Now what's your name?" she asked sweetly, which made both Killigan _and_ Kim shudder.

"Skirt boy?" he asked hesitantly, hoping that it was the right answer.

"Yep," she said. Killigan sighed with relief. But then Rebecca was right in front of him. "Nobody hurts my Bubbles," she growled. Before the Scotsman knew what hit him, she'd blasted him head over heels with a burst of plasma. She reached down to his golf bag, extracted one of his exploding golf balls, and set it on his upturned ass. Then she grabbed a club, a 9-iron to be exact, yelled "Fore!, and whacked the golf ball right up his ass. The man howled in agony as she dropped the club.

"Wha' . . . wha' color was on tha' one, lass?" he whimpered.

"Hmm? Oh, blue. There was a blue band on it. Why?"

"I shoulda stayed in me bed," he cried, before the super-mace golf ball fell apart inside and left him howling and screaming and rolling over back and forth. Rebecca ignored him and walked over to where Kim was getting back to her feet.

"That wasn't very nice, Rebecca," Kim admonished, leaning onto the other girl for support a bit.

"I don't care," she replied. "Besides, he'll be fine. It wasn't one of the exploding ones."

"You know, you're something else," the redhead told her. "I've seen be you so nice and sweet and tender, except when you're fending off Bonnie."

"He hurt you," Rebecca said simply. "You're my first friend ever."

"I think I'm more than that," Kim said slyly.

"Wh-What do you . . . mean?" the shimmer-haired girl said nervously.

"I'm your Bubbles," the teen hero said, with just the perfect 'cutesy' face to go with the 'little girl' tone she used. Rebecca groaned and blushed so much her ivory skin actually almost turned red. "Don't worry, though," Kim added.

"Why?"

"Because," Kim said, right before she kissed Rebecca on the lips, "you're my bad ass Bombshell."

The whole ride back to Middleton, neither girl said anything. Rebecca because she was completely stunned by what had happened, and Kim because she was trying to figure out her feelings. The silence wasn't uneasy, but there _was_ tension of some sort in the air. It was the first time Kim had ever kissed a girl, and even though she knew without a doubt she was a lesbian, she found she liked kissing a girl. Specifically the girl sitting next to her in the otherwise empty (except for the pilots) private jet. It had only been a week since she'd met Rebecca Shaw, and that was barely enough time to even start getting to know someone, much less care about them. Even taking into account how intense yet friendly and fun their sparring was. But Rebecca had came into her life when she was at her lowest, when she wasn't able to see any kind of break in the clouds that had overshadowed her life. She'd been so understanding and supportive of her, willing to help her out without even being asked. Kim wasn't sure if she was in love with Rebecca – it was far too soon for that – but she knew that she cared a great deal about her, and she did love her. _Maybe I should tell her that_ , the redhead thought. And she did so before she lost the confidence to do it.

"H-Hey, Rebecca?" she asked, wincing at the stammer in voice.

"Huh?" Rebecca said, shaking her head to clear it. Then she looked over at Kim. "Are you okay, Kim? Do you need some water, or food, or something?" The other girl's concern made her smile.

"I am a bit hungry," she admitted, "but that can wait."

"Okay," the shimmer-haired teen replied, smiling.

"I am so happy that you came into my life when you did," Kim said, her smile changing to something more. Rebecca noticed, of course, even if she didn't quite recognize what it was. "I was in a bad place, emotionally and mentally, and you were . . . you were like a light in the darkest night, a . . . a fire on the coldest day."

"Kim . . .," she breathed, her eyes getting teary, though she wasn't real sure why.

"I know I've only known you for a week, and that that isn't really enough to do more than start getting to know you," Kim went on, still wearing the same smile, "but I care for you, a lot. More than I've ever cared about anyone outside of my family. I don't know if I'm _in_ love yet, but I do know that I'd like to see if it happens with you."

Rebecca was floored by this announcement. Kim Possible, the girl she'd looked up to for what seemed like half her life, had not only kissed her on the lips, but was now saying that she wanted to try a relationship with her. Then the smile the redhead wore clicked in her mind. It was the same kind of smile Rebecca saw her parents wear whenever they looked at each other.

"You . . . you . . . you . . .," she tried to say.

"That doesn't make a sentence, Bombshell," Kim said playfully.

"You . . . want to go . . . go out with me?" Rebecca finally managed to get out.

"Absolutely," the redhead confirmed. "Dwelling on the past and focusing on all of the gried and anguish I had nearly ruined me. I'm still not like I used to be, and I doubt I will ever be that same person again. And . . . I don't really want to. I . . . I need to move on, start living again. Being around you livens up my life. Sparring with you makes me feel more alive. So, whaddya say?" Kim asked with smile. "Want to be my girlfriend?"

Then Rebecca surprised both of them when she leaned forward and kissed Kim on the lips, in the same way she'd seen her mothers kiss. But she wasn't just mimicking her parents; no, she was expressing the feelings and emotions she couldn't articulate with words. When she pulled back and opened her eyes again, she saw that Kim had a dazed and happy expression on her face. It made the shimmer-haired girl smile.

"More than anything in this world or the next," Rebecca said, pulling her new girlfriend into a hug.

When they landed at Middleton Airport, they weren't really surprised to see Kim's mom there; Wade had told them an hour from disembarking that he'd notified Ann of the duo's arrival time and said they'd need a ride. When Ann caught sight of the two girls, and saw them holding hands while leaning close and whispering to each other, a smile blossomed on her face. A smile that didn't leave when they got closer and she could better see the way they looked at each other. It was the same way she and James looked at each other, after all.

"So, girls, ready to head home?" she asked after everyone had climbed into the car.

"Um, not . . . not really, Mom," Kim said.

"Oh?" the older redhead said, as though she was surprised by that answer (she wasn't, of course, but was so sincere that her daughter didn't realize that).

"We'd . . . well, we would like to go home, but only to change," her daughter admitted.

"Where will you be going after that?" Ann replied, playing at being confused.

"We're going out, Missus Possible," Rebecca said, making Kim blush and groan. Ann chuckled at her daughter's embarrassment.

"So you finally asked Rebecca out, Kimmie-cub?"

"Mom!" Kim groaned, turning even redder.

"What?" her mom asked innocently, though she wasn't fooling anyone now. By this point, they were already well on their way to the Possible residence. "It was obvious, Kimmie. From that very first night, I knew it was only a matter of time until the two of you . . . hooked up. I hope you're not going to take your girlfriend to Bueno Nacho for your first date."

Rebecca blushed this time, allowing her girlfriend to feel some satisfaction again.

"Hell, no," Kim replied, vehemently.

"Kimberly Ann," her mom said in a warning tone.

"Sorry, Mom," she apologized. "I'm never going there again if I can help it. Not after what happened with the whole Li'l Diablo thing, and especially not after what happened with Ron there."

"So where to?" Ann asked. She didn't quite know what had happened that Saturday, a week before Rebecca came into her daughter's life, but she knew that Kim would tell her in her own time. She pulled into the driveway and turned around to face the two girls after putting the car in park – but not turning the engine off.

"I was thinking . . . Olive Garden," Kim replied. Then she sighed. "But-" Before she could finish speaking, her mom handed her three $20 bills. "Mom?"

"My treat," Ann told her, in a tone that brooked no argument but still somehow managed to be kind and warm. "You deserve some happiness after all you've gone through, Kim. I know Ron _was_ a decent young man and a good friend, but Rebecca is actually the kind of person you need."

"Yeah," Kim said in a somewhat dreamy voice as she looked over at her girlfriend.

"So, you two run along inside and get dressed nicely," Ann told them as they opened the car doors. "I'll wait right here while you two get ready."

"What about Dad and the tweebs?" Kim asked.

"If your brothers tease you, don't let Rebecca near any golf balls," Ann called out. Both girls blushed furiously at that. They went inside to change as Ann chuckled to herself.

The two of them raced up the stairs to Kim's room and began going through their clothes. Rifling through the closet, Rebecca came across a shimmery bluish dress. Kim had looked over to see if Rebecca needed help and saw her pulling out the dress.

"That was my dress for prom," Kim said softly. Rebecca turned and saw memories swimming across her girlfriend's face.

"No happy memories with it?" the shimmer-haired girl asked. Kim shook her head. Rebecca smiled, and took the dress down. "Then let's make one with it."

"What?" the redhead said, confused.

"I'll wear it."

"I don't under- Why?" Kim asked.

"Because something this nice, belonging to a girl as beautiful as you, doesn't deserve to have bad memories attached to it," Rebecca answered softly, a hint of pink in her cheeks. Tears gathered in Kim's eyes at her girlfriend's nearly whispered declaration.

"Okay," she managed to answer, her throat feeling like there was a lump in it.

"I'll go change in the bathroom and meet you downstairs?"

"Yeah."

Kim had chosen to wear a pair of cream-colored ladies dress pants, and a pink 3/4-sleeve shirt. She slipped into a pair of sandals, liking how the pink and white summer shoes went with her outfit, and left a pair of baby blue heels outside the bathroom door. She was back down the stairs and waiting near the door when she realized that she didn't know if Rebecca knew how to walk in heels.

"Wow, Kim. You look . . . wonderful," Rebecca said from the stairs. Kim looked over to tell the other girl that didn't look that special . . . and felt as though someone had stolen all of the air out of the room. Coming down the stairs wasn't a mere woman, from Kim's perspective, but a goddess of some kind. The dress clung to Rebecca as though it was made for her, even though she and Kim had pretty much the same body type, and she walked in the heels as though born in them. Jim and Tim watched the two girls, but refrained from saying or doing anything. They'd seen their sister and Rebecca spar, and had heard about what had happened to Duff Killigan. Neither boy was interested in seeing if the scary red girl would be okay with teasing, and so went back into the den.

When they came out the front door, hand-in-hand, there was a flash of light. When they blinked away the spots, they saw Ann putting down a camera.

"You girls look wonderful," she told them when they'd gotten to the car. "And very happy."

"Thanks, Mom," Kim said, blushing but feeling very lucky she had a mom like hers.

When they'd gotten to the Olive Garden, Ann dropped them off at the door. She wasn't going to go in with them, and told them to just call her when they were ready to leave. The two young women walked into the restuarant and didn't have to wait to be seated. When they'd ordered drinks and breadsticks, both ordered unsweetened tea to drink. This caused both of them to smile and blush. The two looked over the menus, not speaking but sharing shy yet tender smiles. Shortly, their server came back with their drinks and bread sticks.

"Are you ladies ready to order?" he asked in a surprisingly sincerely friendly manner.

"I think so," Kim said. "I'll have the herb-grilled salmon and the house soup."

"I'm still not sure," Rebecca admitted. She wasn't familiar with a lot – okay, most – of the dishes in the menu, and wasn't sure if she'd like anything.

"Would you like me to order for you?" the redhead asked. Her girlfriend nodded, and Kim looked back at the server. "I think she'd enjoy the zuppa toscana and the baked tilapia with shrimp."

"Got it," he said, writing it down. Then he winked at Rebecca. "You've got a good girlfriend, there. Don't let her get away." Then he left to give their orders to the kitchen. Both girls were surprised at not only his accurate perception, but at how easily he acknowledged the fact that they were lesbians.

"He's pretty nice," Rebecca said, looking over at Kim.

"Yeah," she agreed. "That was totally unexpected."

It was going to be a wait for their orders to arrive, but neither girl minded. After all, eating here was only special because of who they were with. They couldn't help just staring at each other and smiling as they sipped their tea – which they'd sweetened up to their own personal taste, although Rebecca had to try it as it was to see how it tasted. As they took their time muching on the breadsticks, not wanting to fill up on that appetizer before getting to the main course, they talked about normal things: school, their sparring, Kim's 'career' as a globe-trotting teen hero, even Rebecca's life at GJ's headquarters. The shimmer-haired girl was surprised that Kim was interested in that part of her life, but wasn't reluctant at all to talk about it.

"So you really aged that fast?" Kim asked, surprised.

"Yeah. About half of my education came from that flash-imprinting method I told you about before," Rebecca answered.

"Seems a little strange," the redhead replied. "Not that that's a bad thing." Her girlfriend chuckled.

"It was at first. You see, I'm actually asleep when they accelerate my genetic code and do the flash-imprinting. When I wake up, I'm older and have a lot more knowledge in my head. Mom and the instructors would spend a week or two afterwards helping me understand what was in my head. Since if they didn't walk me through it, it would only occur to me when a situation requiring it came up." She shrugged, and took a sip of her tea. "It was different from what's happening now, of course."

"I can imagine," Kim told her, placing her hand on her girlfriend's ivory-toned one. Before they could talk anymore, their food arrived. Their server delivered it with a florish, and even produced a single candle which he then lit up.

"Wow," Rebecca said, entranced by the occurence.

"Thank you," Kim said. "This is . . . this very nice."

"My boyfriend appreciates the romantic touch, too," the server said, shocking the two girls further. With a grin and a bow, he left them to their meal.

"Okay, that guy is the coolest guy I've ever met," Rebecca said, awed.

"I'll say," Kim agreed. After that, they didn't bother to talk as they were enjoying their food. Especially Rebecca, who had never had anything like what she was eating before in her life. She hadn't been restricted to a military diet or some kind of nutrient-rich tasteless food program, of course, but she still hadn't had anything like this. Kim divided her attention between her own delicious meal, and watching her new girlfriend enjoy hers. After their meal was done, they ordered a dessert. Just one, and they shared it with each other. As they were finishing their dessert, they called Kim's mom and let her know that they'd be ready to leave when she got there. When they'd fully finished the dessert – including a second one they'd ordered, trying to prolong the experience – they paid for the meal and gave their server a great tip. They got out of the restuarant right as Ann pulled up. She didn't have to ask the girls how the date had gone; she could see it in her eyes.

The whole ride back was spent with Kim and Rebecca in the backseat of the car, the redhead leaning contentedly on her girlfriend's shoulder, and the shimmer-haired girl with that arm around the other girl's shoulders. When they'd arrived back home, Kim had fallen asleep in Rebecca's arms while she herself had fallen asleep with her head resting on Kim's. Ann thought it was just too adorable, especially with the two girls dressed so romantically, so she pulled her camera and snapped a photo. The flash woke Rebecca up; she tried to stretch but quickly stopped when she realized Kim was asleep on her. She smiled down at her girlfriend, and then looked towards the front at Ann.

"I'll carry her in," Rebecca whispered. Ann was a little skeptical about that, but was surprised when the girl – who was very nearly the same size and weight as her daughter – slid out of the car and held Kim up in her arms, with the redhead still sound asleep with a happy and satisfied smile on her face. Ann helped her daughter's girlfriend out by opening the doors; but after they got to Kim's room she left them alone. Rebecca laid her girlfriend down on the bed, then carefully and gently removed her clothes. Setting them in the hamper, she pulled out some bed clothes for Kim from a drawer and, just as carefully and gently as before, dressed her. She then went over and got out her own bed clothes and dressed in them after taking the dress off. She then climbed into bed with Kim, let the redhead snuggle up against her in her sleep, and fell asleep as she held her.

 _Classified Location, Global Justice Ultra-Max Prison "The Crate"_

There was never any clear indication how it had happened, and follow up investigations by Global Justice's Interal Investigation Division were inconclusive, but somehow there was a prison break at The Crate. At the first sign of the situation, hard-wired failsafes engaged and locked down any and all outside access points. These couldn't be lifted by anyone except for three specific GJ officials using a combination of DNA, fingerprint, optical, and brain-wave scanning systems. And two of those were currently at the facility.

Betty Director and her wife were at The Crate doing a routine check; Betty dealing with the administration and supply issues, and Isabella Shaw handling the scientific and medical side. When the incident happened, the two were on the other side of the facility opposite the control center, where they now needed to be. The reason for that is they were both personally checking out the inventory on medical supplies and consumables.

"Agent Du, report," Betty said into her communications headset.

 _"The Crate's gone into lockdown, ma'am,"_ the by-the-book agent said. Betty wanted to groan because of his matter-of-factness and insistence on giving concise and thorough reports. _"Currently there is no indication of how or why, but the power supply to security system went offline, and the hard-wired failsafes activated. The prison cells are now unlocked and open, and the inmates are attempting to exit the facility."_

"We're completely on the opposite side of The Crate," Betty said.

 _"I'll send troops in to escort the two of you out, Doctor Director."_

"Negative, Agent Du."

 _"I must insist, ma'am."_

"Right now, Will, you need everyone you have to keep the prisoners away from the critical areas," Isabella said into her own commset. "Betty and I will come to you. Just keep us an exit open."

 _"Ma'am, I'm afraid I can't-"_

"You have your orders, Agent Du. We can't risk anyone escaping from here. The two of us can get by more easily than squads of agents," Isabella snapped, once again reminding Betty why she'd fallen in love (over and over) with the raven-haired fireball. She looked over at her one-eyed wife, grinning in a way that would've terrified almost anyone who knew her. Betty could tell her that her wife was going to enjoy the next hour or two. There were no internal maps of The Crate, except in the control centers, and those were one-of-a-kind hardcopies. Fortunately, Betty had memorized them and led the way from the supply storage area into the prison itself.

What neither Will nor Betty knew right off was that some of the security systems had locked before shutting off, which meant that Betty and Isabella often had to backtrack and find alternate routes. The only way they could find through the cell blocks was right through the central one, which held most of the prisoners. When Betty and Isabella walked through the doors into the large 'communal' area of the central cell block, every prisoner in there turned and looked at them. On the other side of the security doors across it were several GJ agents, and Will Du. It looked as though those doors had locked before shutdown, as three GJ agents were seen rushing to one of the doors with an arc-welder in hopes of cutting through it.

"Well, lookee what we got here," one of the prisoners, a massive mountain of muscle and brawn, said with a sneer. "Two GJ bitches ripe for the taking."

Betty looked over at her wife and suddenly stepped away. And did so again. The expression on Isabella's face made the one-eyed woman want to give her wife as much as possible. The raven-haired woman, a full foot-and-a-half shorter than the behemoth now in front of them, walked right up to him and said, in a sweet voice that made Betty shudder in sympathy for what was coming, "Are you talking to me, asshole?"

"You better watch it, you whore," he said with a lecherous sneer. "I might not treat so nice when I make you my woman if you act like that."

"I hope your friends last longer than you," Isabella said. The man only had time to think _What?_ before the woman in front of him had spun around and did a rising reverse piledriver kick straight up into his crotch. Betty's eye widened so much it almost bugged out as she watched the massive man go up four feet into the air before arcing back and hitting the concrete floor. For a moment no one, not even the GJ agents trying to get into the communal area to rescue the two women, moved. Then Isabella shaw slipped off her jacket, cracked her knuckles at the same time she knocked her neck side to side to pop it, and said, "Alright, who's next?"

With a yell, the 35 other prisoners charged the two woman. Betty hung back and picked up the GJ-issue Tazor Dart Gun she'd brought for this visit, picking off as many prisoners as she could while her wife charged in to bring them down hard and personal. She'd became deadly accurate with firearms after losing her eye, but as good as she was at ranged fighting, Isabella was thrice as dangerous in a melee – which is what her wife got.

With a whoop of joy – a sound that was a little frightening to anyone not familiar with it – Isabella charged at the prisoners, easily slipping into a spin kick that literally knocked out three in one hit. What everyone but her wife and daughter had forgotten was that Isabella had spent her life from the age of 6 practicing martial arts. As many as she could learn. She was a master in five of them, capable of being a teacher for another 7, and knew many aspects of 11 others. But she didn't bother using only one style at a time and switching with others; unfortunately for the prisoners who weren't lucky enough to be tazed by Betty's accurate shooting, she mixed and matched punches, kicks, stances, and blocks from all 23 styles she knew. She was a whirlwind of fists and feet, and was using her body itself as a weapon. One prisoner made the mistake of grabbing her from behind and pinning her arms to her side; she'd smashed her foot into his instep, then _slammed_ the back of her head into his nose as he bent foward. Another grabbed her arm and thought to spin her around into something; she reversed the grip, tripped the woman, grabbed her head as she was falling, and shoved it into the floor before punching her twice in the gut. She jumped, dodged, and bounced off of objects like a pinball; changing direction at random and using everything around her as a springboard. She flipped over one prisoner, grabbed the man's shoulders, and used her momentum to land on her feet and bring him over her head, tossing him at a group of others that were actually trying to escape from her.

By the time Will Du and the other agents broke into the cell block's communal area, not one prisoner was left standing and Isabella looked like she had had the time of her life. As everyone else stared around in shock at what they had witnessed, Betty walked up to her wife and handed her her jacket.

"You're still pretty spry for an old lady, Kitten," the one-eyed woman said with a smile.

"I should've proved that already with the sex life we have, Cyclops," Isabella replied with a smirk; which only got bigger when she spotted Will's expression.

"Agent Du, report," Betty said in an effort to bring the man's focus back.

"Right," he said, looking at his boss and coming to attention. "This cellblock was the last one that needed to be secured. Not one prisoner managed to breach into any of the secured areas. However, the lockdown is still in effect until either you or Doctor Shaw can disable it."

"Are you sure no one escaped?" Isabella asked as she slipped her jacket back on.

"As sure as I can be at this moment," he told her. "We need to lift the lockdown in order to get the prisoner scanning and tracking systems back online."

"Then let's get to it," the raven-haired woman said. But as Will Du led the two women to the central command/control room of The Crate, neither of them could help wondering just who had cyber-attacked The Crate, and how they had been able to do it. The Crate was on a closed system, no external signals of any kind. Yet all of the GJ agents permanently and rotationally assigned to The Crate were thoroughly vetted to ensure their incorruptability. So how had The Crate been found in the first place?

 _Middleton, Possible Residence (then Middleton Museum of History)_

As it was Saturday, and both Rebecca and Kim had had a long and wonderful time the day before, Ann let them sleep in for a while. She was actually off today, the boys were over at a friend's house, and James was at the science center. When she went to wake them up, however, she stood in the in the doorway watching as they slept. Rebecca was on her back with one arm across her stomach; Kim was snuggled up as close to her as possible, with one arm on her girlfriend's stomach and her head using a breast as a pillow. When she cleared her throat loudly, she couldn't help but laugh hard as both girls started, causing a hilarious chain reaction. Kim jerked up quickly, the sudden movement causing Rebecca to bolt upright. The shimmer-haired girl smacked her head in Kim's, making them both cry out and shifting Rebecca's balance drastically. The ivory-skinned girl started falling out of bed and Kim moved to try to grab her, but only succeeded in making herself fall off the bed, too. Rebecca landed on her ass, wincing, only to have the breath knocked out of her when Kim's head and upper torso landed on her chest. The two of them heard uncontrollable laughing, and looked at the entryway to see Kim's mom standing there, red-faced with laughter. Everytime she stopped to catch her breath, she ended up bursting into laughter again. The two girls looked at each other, back to Kim's mom, and then back to each other. Then they, too, burst into laughter.

After recovering from that bit of unintentional slapstick comedy, the three women went downstairs for a noontime breakfast. Right as they finished, the familiar jingle of the kimmunicator went off.

"Hey, Wade," Rebecca said, since she'd grabbed it first. "What's happening?"

 _"Hey, Rebecca,"_ Wade replied. _"Is Kim around?"_

"Right here, Wade," the redhead said, looking over her girlfriend's shoulder.

 _"Right. Monkey Fist has been sighted at the Middleton Museum of History."_

"What's there that he'd want?" Rebecca asked, with Kim nodding.

 _"There's an ancient monkey-themed artifact currently on display there. It's part of the legendary Blessing of Sun Wukong colleciton, a trio of artifacts said to have been given to a trusted group of martial artists by the monkey god himself. The piece at the museum is called The Monkey's Fist. According to legend, it's supposed to increase the power of the one who possesses both it and the Mystical Monkey Power."_

"Whoa," Rebecca said.

 _"If the legends are even partially true, this could be bad news, Kim."_

"Then let's take him down," the ivory-skinned girl said with a gung-ho attitude. Wade grinned before signing off; Rebecca was _definitely_ what Kim needed. Ron had been a nice guy, but that girl was definitely someone who could not only keep up with Kim, but challenge her, too.

"You know," Rebecca said, as they traveled to the museum courtesy of Ann Possible, "I think I need to get a different outfit."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, looking at her girlfriend. Kim was dressed in her white and blue battle suit, while Rebecca was wearing her red and black catsuit.

"Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad set of clothing," she replied. "It's just . . . it was based off of what my big sister wears, and I want something that's . . . well, me."

"How about we talk to Wade about designing you your own battle suit after this mission?" the redhead suggested.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Bombshell, I'd do anything for you."

"Bombshell?" Ann interrupted. "You've nicknamed her Bombshell?"

"Hey, I like the nickname Bubbles gave me," Rebecca retorted. At that, Kim's mom started laughing. "What? What did I say?"

"My mom," Kim said, flushing in embarrassment, "sometimes calls me Bubble-butt."

"I believe it," Rebecca said with a grin, followed by an "Ow!" as Kim punched her in the shoulder.

"Alright, girls, we're here," Ann said as she pulled to a stop outside the museum. "You two be careful.

"Come on, Mom," Kim said. "It's Monkey Fist. Without Ron here to goof things up, it shouldn't be too hard to bring him in." With that, the Team Possible ran into the museum through its front door – right as Monkey Fist ran up to it with a large team of monkey ninjas.

"Kim Possible," he said in his cultured accented. He noticed the girl with her. "So where is the Monkey Master pretender?"

"Don't know, don't care," Kim said, actually surprising the fomer archaeologist.

"No matter," he replied. "Monkey ninjas, attack!" Rebecca raised up her hands like an Old West gunslinger and triggered off rapid-fire bursts of plasma, driving the monkey ninjas (who were very familiar with Shego) away in fright.

"You're not Shego!" Monkey Fist said in indignation. "How can you do that?"

"Told you I needed a new outfit, Kim," Rebecca said with a sigh.

"Okay, okay. We'll get started on it after we get Monkey Fist to your mother."

"That is highly unlikely, Miss Possible," the monkey master said, leaping to attack – only to be knocked back by kick from Rebecca. Monkey Fist landed on his feet and stared at the girl. "How can this be?! I am _the_ master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar! I am the _true_ inheritor of the Mystical Monkey Power! How could _you_ even touch me?!" Without losing the smirk on her face, Rebecca easily slid into a stance that Monkey Fist recognized as the Drunken Monkey variation of the Tai Shing system.

"My mom was a world-renowned martial artist in her youth," Rebecca said. "She taught me everything she knew." And with that, she and Monkey Fist engaged in combat. The Mystical Monkey Power that he possessed gave him an edge over Rebecca, but he forgot about one thing: Kim Possible. She launched a flying kick at the monkey master that forced him to dodge into the waiting Rebecca, who fired off a devastating strike at Monkey Fist's knees. He barely dodged the attack, and found himself fending off strikes from two different highly skilled opponents. He was even more stunned when Rebecca switched from Drunken Monkey to Lost Monkey – with bits of aikido thrown in. The three combatants moved all around the museum in a fierce battle, yet managed to break absolutely nothing during the fight. Try as he might, Monkey Fist could not beat the two teenagers _and_ keep The Monkey's Fist, so he abandoned his prize and fled. Kim turned to look at her girlfriend after they were sure the super villain had actually escaped.

"I didn't know you knew two different styles of monkey kung fu," Kim said in awe.

"Yeah," Rebecca said, blushing in embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her head. "My mom knows, like, twenty-three styles of martial arts from around the world, and is pretty high-ranked in Tai Shing Pek Kwar."

"Hot damn," the redhead said, earning a bright smile from her girlfriend.

 **E/N:** And that's the end of chapter 7, currently my longest chapter. This was a pretty amazing chapter. Y'all find out that pissing Rebecca off is a bad idea, she and Kim are now dating, and Isabella Shaw is badass martial artist in her spare time.

So what's going to happen next in Red Flame? Will Kim and Rebecca take things slow? Will they have to face Monkey Fist again? And just what are Samantha and Ellen up to? Look for the answers in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Summer Fun 1."


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **A/N:** I put an extended scene for Samantha and Ellen in this chapter for **zzzoo99**. :)

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 8 – Summer Fun 1**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

As soon as they'd gotten back home from fighting Monkey Fist, Rebecca and Kim went to the back yard to spar. Ann shook her head, not really understanding why the two of them would go and fight again after just having finished one. She supposed it was a bonding and relaxation thing with those two, since it was how Rebecca had started helping Kim come back to herself. Ann watched the two girls for a moment, although it looked less like their usual sparring and more like Rebecca teaching Kim some new moves. Even though it was pretty much the same thing they'd been doing for the past week, Ann could see several differences between this time and the last few times. There was a lot more open displays of affection; honestly, there were displays of affection, period. Kim smiled a lot more, and with more joy than Ann could recall ever seeing her show – even before that terrible day two weeks ago. She had to get to the hospital, since today was a work day, but she stood there for a moment longer, watching her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend. Though the relationship as such wasn't even a day old, Ann Possible felt that it would only grow stronger and closer from here on out.

When Kim and Rebecca came from their impromptu sparring/lesson, they found lunch sitting on the table with a note that was from Kim's mom. It was just to let them know that the food was for them, and that she was at the hospital.

"Your mom is amazing," Rebecca said.

"She has to put up with my dad and my brothers," Kim said. "Of course she is."

"She also has to put up with you, too," her girlfriend retorted, which got her a punch in the arm. "Ow!"

"I'm your problem now, not hers," Kim said with a grin.

"You'll never be a problem," Rebecca replied, and the two kissed before sitting down to lunch. "So what's the plan today?"

"Well, we could go to the mall and just look around," the redhead suggested. "Maybe get something to symbolize our relationship?"

"Like . . . rings or something?" the shimmer-haired girl asked, feeling nervous.

"M-Maybe not rings, exactly," Kim stammered. "That's . . . rings would be a Big Step. Maybe necklaces?" Just then, the kimmunicator went off. When Kim answered it, she didn't see Wade but Betty.

 _"Hello, Kimberly,"_ the one-eyed woman said with a smile.

"Hey, Doctor Director," she replied, returning the smile.

"Mother?" Rebecca said, loud enough to be heard.

 _"Hey, Firefly,"_ Betty said. Rebecca came around to stand behind Kim, so she could see and be seen. _"How are you two doing?"_

"We're great, Mother!" Rebecca said happily, drawing a chuckle from Kim and Betty.

 _"That's good to hear. And I'm glad to see you smiling again, Kim,"_ the older woman said.

"You're just happy that I'm back to taking care of things," the teen hero said with a smile.

 _"I'll admit that it is nice to have Team Possible back on the job, and better than ever,"_ Betty agreed. _"But I would've been just as happy if you had chosen to stay out of the world-saving game. I don't doubt your abilities, since I've seen them firsthand."_

"I know what you're saying, Doctor Director," Kim told her. "My mom basically told me the same thing."

 _"Would the two of you mind if Isabella and I spent the day with you?"_

"Not at all," the two girls said simultaneously, making Betty laugh.

"Hey, Mother?" Rebecca said, a little nervous.

 _"What is it, Firefly?"_

"Kim and I . . . we're, um . . . we're . . ."

"Rebecca and I are dating," Kim said for her girlfriend.

 _"Your mom will be ecstatic to hear that,"_ Betty said.

 _"What will I be ecstatic to hear?"_ the two girls heard Isabella ask.

 _"Our daughter's got a girlfriend."_

 _"That's great news! Let me talk to her."_ Kim and Rebecca watched as Betty was shoved out of way of the comm unit and Isabella appeared. _"Talk to me, Firefly."_

"It's true, Mom," Rebecca said, laying her head on top of Kim's. "Kim asked me out yesterday, and her mom treated us to the Olive Garden for our first date."

 _"That's wonderful, dear!"_

"And today," Kim said, "we were going to go to mall and get matching necklaces or something."

 _"That's so sweet. We'll come down another time; wouldn't want to intrude on your special time."_

"You can come on down today, Mom!" Rebecca said enthusiastically.

"She's right, Doctor Shaw," Kim agreed. "You two wouldn't be intruding at all."

 _"Alright. We'll be there in a couple of hours. Plenty of time for you two to have sex and get cleaned up."_

"Mom!"

 _"Isabella!"_

Both Kim and Rebecca were flushed heavily with embarassment while Isabella was just laughing.

 _Colorado Rockies, Shego's Lair_

"Fuck!" Samantha said as she watched the semi-long-distance footage of Kim's fight against Duff Killigan. Her exclamation was a mixture of awe, disbelief, and anger – and a bit of fear. Whoever Kim's new sidekick was, she had the same plasma powers as Shego herself, but red instead of green. The awe came from watching the girl's fighting skills as she took on Killigan after Possible had been knocked out; that's also where the fear came from. The girl's fighting skills were master-level, on par with her own _and_ Kim's. If she didn't know any better, Samantha would've sworn that the girl she was watching had been trained by her own mother. _But Mom's been dead for over ten years_ , she thought. The anger came from the fact that this girl had the _same plasma powers she did_. The disbelief was due to how well she fought – and when she'd whacked one of Killigan's golf balls right up his ass. Samantha didn't think even _she_ could be that vindictive. But, then again, she _was_ using other villains to soften Kim Possible up and wear her down so _she_ could kick the redhead's ass once and for all.

"You don't know the half of it," Ellen said, looking over at her lover from another console. "I just hacked into the security footage from the Middleton Museum of History, where Monkey Fist attempted to steal some kind of monkey-themed artifact."

Samantha came over and watched the stolen footage with Ellen. The two of them felt their jaws drop and their eyes widen as they watched Kim Possible and the mystery girl take on Monkey Fist. Watching how the girl fought, how she easily shifted and merged fighting styles, the green-skinned woman realized one thing that had been ambiguous before but was now confirmed: this girl had been trained by her mom, Isabella. She kept that to herself, though; this wasn't something she could share with Ellen. And she needed to accomplish her revenge before getting answers. _I wouldn't even know where to start looking_ , she thought. And immediately she realized she _did_ know where to start.

"Fuck me," Ellen breathed, and Samantha had to agree.

"We're still going through with the plan, right?" she asked.

"Of course. The plan centers around getting you and Possible together," the gray-skinned woman said. "This mystery girl, whoever she is, only complicates the details, not the goal. We'd have to get her and Possible seperated during the endrun of our game." She looked up at her lover. "I'm good with a tech – beyond brilliant, actually – but I am not a fighter. I wouldn't last three seconds against even that blond buffoon you said was usually with Kim. I can make some tech that would help me even the odds a little, but we'll need to either change the location of the final game, or seriously death trap the one we've got."

"Might be best to alter the location," Samantha agreed. "One of Drakken's old volcano lairs should work; I know he set up one with 'death traps' for underwater and overland approaches. He usually builds his lairs in advance, including the death traps, but waits to fully outfit one until he activates it."

"That's pretty smart, actually," the gray-skinned woman said.

"He may not be the genius he thinks he is, but on planning he isn't of a slouch," she grudgingly admitted. She sighed and stood back. "So who's up to bat now?"

"Well, so far, we've gotten Dementor, Killigan, and Fist to strike, even though all three think and believe it's their own idea," Ellen said. "There's still quite a few left, thanks to the information you provided and what we've found in Drakken's system. How about we let Adrena Lynn, DNAmy, and even Motor Ed have a shot? Second-stringers, of course, but _we_ are the only real game in town."

"Adrena Lynn is a thrill-seeker that Kimmie ruined," Samantha told her. "Had some kind of reality show and attempted to take out Kim Possible because she felt her success was threatened by her. DNAmy isn't really much of a threat; she's a brilliant geneticist who is obsessed with making real life versions of those dumbass Cuddle Buddy things."

"And Motor Ed?"

"Drakken's cousin. As brilliant as you, perhaps, but with a focus on the mechanical rather than the technical. He's a sexist, but surprisingly open-minded."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. I don't know how he manages to be like that, either. Of course, I don't know how Drakken manages to survive himself but, hey, that's life."

"I still can't believe you left him in The Crate when you busted out," Ellen said.

"Are you kidding?" Samantha asked incredulously. "Since I started working for that bastard I've been caught more times than I ever thought possible. Of course, that started happening more frequently when Kim Possible came on the scene. The Li'l Diablo incident was the last straw, however, and not because of how close he came to succeeding; it's because of what he did to Possible."

"Emotionally toying with her?"

"I want to win, of course, and I'll do anything to win. But I prefer to do it in a straight up fight. Not through that kind of manipulation."

"Isn't that what you're doing here, Samantha?"

"No. What we're doing is not manipulationg her emotions, but wearing her out. This isn't a mind game at all," she snapped.

"Easy, Samantha, easy," Ellen told her. "I wasn't trying to piss you off."

"I know, I know," the green-skinned woman said, breathing out in a huff. Ellen stood up and pulled the taller woman to her.

"How about we relax?" she said huskily, her tone telling Samantha exactly what she wanted to do. Instead of replying with words, Samantha leaned down and captured her lover's lips with her own. The kiss deepened, strengthened, became more passionate and hungry. Their hands roamed all over each other's bodies, groping and squeezing and pinching. Their moans and groans got louder and more insistent. Then Samantha pushed Ellen back and caused her to stumble and fall into the chair she'd been sitting in.

"What the hell?!" she said astonished. Looking at the other woman in shock, realizaton dawned on her as Samantha slowly and seductively unzipped her catsuit, revealing (once again) that she went commando under it. She peeled it off just as slowly, somehow managing to slip her arms out of the sleeves without revealing her breasts at all. Then, swaying her hips in a sensuous and hypnotic manner, she turned around and let the outfit fall down to her hips and danced in an erotic manner as she slipped it downn to her feet. Without bending over, Samantha stepped out of her catsuit _and_ her boots.

"Fuck me," Ellen breathed, more turned on than she'd ever been before.

"Only if you can catch me," the villainess said sweetly, looking over her shoulder, before sprinting off to their now-shared bedroom. Ellen was left sitting there, in shock, before her mind caught up with her and she ran after her lover, stripping her own clothes off as she went. When she made it to the bedroom, fully naked, Samantha was waiting for her. Waiting and wet. With a grin to match the one on the green-skinned woman's face, Ellen threw herself onto the bed, landing on a surprised Samantha and pinning her in place. Before she could get thrown off and pinned herself, she leaned down and kissed the other woman, slipping her tongue between willing lips. Her lover's moans told her just how strong her desire was. Smiling into the kiss, Ellen continued it for a bit longer before slipping down and kissing on Samantha's neck, listening to her hiss and arch her back in pleasure. She sucked on the part of her lover's neck where it merged into the shoulder, earning an animalistic growl from the green-skinned woman. She bit down and sucked hard, making her lover groan and gasp at the same time. No words were said, and none were needed. While she was busy at her neck, Ellen used a hand to begin manipulating Samantha's breast, kneeding the soft yet firm mound. That had freed up one of her lover's hands, which immediately came up and began playing with one of Ellen's own breasts, drawing a heated moan from her. She abandoned her spot on Samantha's neck, moving down to her other breast and leaving behind a love mark. The gray-skinned woman captured an emerald nipple in her mouth and began suckling it, and her lover responded accordingly. After she'd aroused the nub fully, she moved over the other breast and shifted her hands. Now one hand began playing with the breast she'd been at while the other trailed slowly, teasingly, agonizingly down toward Samantha's heated core. The green-skinned woman cried out, loudly, as her gray-skinned lover slipped a finger inside of her, teasing and playing. Her cries got louder and louder as more and more fingers were slipped in. Ellen began using her thumb to manipulate the bundle of nerves just above her sex. Samantha's body was bucking and writhing underneath her as she responded to the gray-skinned woman's ministrations. Ellen was, by now, thrusting almost her entire hand into Samantha, and had kissed and licked her until she was staring right at the object of her desire. She moved her thumb away and captured the little nub of pleasure and sensation in her mouth and began sucking on it as she moved her thumb to join the rest of her hand. After that, it didn't take long for Samantha to achieve nirvana.

A couple of hours later, the two of them lay curled up in their bed, but only Ellen was asleep; Samantha wasn't able to fall asleep. Not yet. Thoughts were running through her mind; thoughts about her mother, about the mystery girl hanging around with Kim Possible, and what it all meant. The girl fought just like Isabella Gibbs had, the way she'd trained her daughter to fight. Samantha knew her schooling from her mother hadn't been complete when her parents had divorced and her mother had left. But she'd taught her daughter enough to more than protect herself, and Samantha had gone on and learned other styles, too. Including some ninjitsu. _But if she had been alive all this time_ , she thought, _why did she never come back? Why did she stay away?_ Then another thought came to her. _Why did daddy lie?_

 _Why?_

 _Middleton, Middleton Mall_

Two hours after the call had ended, Betty and Isabella had arrived at the Possible home and picked up the two girls. Naturally, Isabella had asked the two girls if the sex was any good, making them both blush hard and causing Betty to punch her shoulder. Laughing, she'd driven them to the Middleton Mall, where they were at now. The two older women hung back a bit and observed the two teens, watching them shyly hold hands. The fact that Kim was doing this in public, considering how well-known she was, told both of them how serious the redheaded teen was about this. They all went into a jewelry shop and browsed around. Kim and Rebecca found, after a few minutes of searching, a pair of necklaces on platinum chains. On each one was a stylized, elemental-looking fire pendant. Both were a mixture of ruby and amethyst, with some topaz used to make it seem as though the fire was actually moving whenever the light struck it. Both girls were struck by the beauty of it, and felt that it was perfect for them, but knew they couldn't get it; Rebecca had no money, and Kim couldn't even afford one of the necklaces, never mind both.

"You two find something?" Isabella asked as she and Betty wandered over.

"Yeah," Kim said, turning to them. "But . . ."

"Do you want them?" the raven-haired woman asked.

"They're perfect," Rebecca said, looking at the necklaces forlornly.

"Then I'll get them for you two," Isabella stated as Betty nodded. Before either of the two girls could say anything, she added, "Consider it a gift from Betty and I."

After getting the necklaces, and the two girls immediately putting them on, the four of them headed to the food court for snacks and drinks. The conversation that followed wouldn't have seemed normal to anyone who was listening in.

"That was pretty nice what you did to Killigan, Rebecca," Isabella said admiringly.

"Kitten!" Betty said, getting onto her wife. "He had to be medically treated before he could be imprisoned!"

"I thought it was rather poetic that one of his own golf balls got whacked up his ass," the raven-haired woman replied, muching on the nachos she'd gotten. "He shouldn't have pissed off our little Firefly here."

"I only caught the last half of Rebecca's fight against him," Kim admitted. "But she was spankin' from what I saw."

"I taught her everything she knows," Isabella said proudly.

"I told her that, Mom," Rebecca replied.

"I do agree with Betty, though," Kim said. "But I won't hold it against you, Bombshell. I'd probably have done the same thing if the situation was reversed."

"Bombshell?" the two older women echoed simultaneously, causing their daughter to blush.

"It's . . . the nickname she gave to me," she told her parents, smiling at her girlfriend. "I call her Bubbles."

"Bubbles?" they said, again at the same time.

"Because she's happy and so effervescent," was the explanation.

"Only one date and they've already got pet names for each other," Isabella said with a grin.

"Actually . . . we gave each other those nicknames before we started going out."

"That's a first," Betty said with a laugh as her wife's jaw dropped open. "You actually managed to leave Isabella speechless for a moment."

Shaking her head to snap herself back, Isabella said, "So what plans do you two have after this?"

"Well, I was going to be calling Wade," Kim replied, "and seeing if he could make a battle suit for Rebecca based upon the one I've been using, but without the features that bring me up to Shego's level. Since, you know, she doesn't really need those."

"Good idea," Betty said with approval. "And it would give you your own look, Firefly."

"That's what I'm wanting," her daughter replied. "I've been confused with Shego three times now."

"What about after that?" Isabella asked.

"Probably just hang around the house and watch tv, or maybe go in the backyard and spar some," the redhead replied.

"While you can never practice enough," the raven-haired woman said, "just don't practice too much."

 _Possible Residence, One week later_

School was now out for the summer, which disappointed Rebecca a little. Kim laughingly told her girlfriend it was only for a couple of months or so, and then they'd be back at school again. The teen hero was actually surprised that she was looking forward to school starting up again, even as she was eager for summer vacation to start. Even before her depression, she hadn't enthusiastic about school even as she did her best at it. She supposed it had something to do with Rebecca being around her now, and felt blessed that her girlfriend had entered her life. They'd finished up their last exam earlier in the day and were now sitting on the couch in Kim's living room, watching tv together. They'd gone on two more dates in the past week, as well, and had another planned for that night. Kim was going to treat her girlfriend to her first movie theater experience by taking her to see a sci-fi action thriller involving a human ship and a hostile race of bug-like aliens. They'd had another mission earlier in the week, too, involving Adrena Lynn. Apparently, while in prison, she'd driven herself insane by constantly obsessing about her fight with Kim Possible. She'd managed to escape the low-security prison she'd been put in and actually tried to attack Kim in broad daylight – while Kim and Rebecca were on their date. Of course, Adrena Lynn also sought to not only prove herself better than the teen hero but also wanted to humilate and break her so the redhead would become her personal slave. Naturally, both Kim and Rebecca took exception to the blond's actions. Fortunately for her, Rebecca and Kim held off from being too rough, and the former reality TV star was once again arrested – but this time Global Justice took charge of her and placed her within a maximum security prison (located outside of the continental United States – specifically, in an isolated facility located on the Alaskan Peninsula). Ann was at the hospital, while James was riding herd over their sons so they wouldn't blow up anything at the house.

"I never thought that one day I would have a girlfriend," Rebecca said, leaning back against Kim.

"Did you expect to have a boyfriend instead?" the redhead teased.

"I really didn't know what to expect," she admitted. "My moms would tell me, whenever I would ask, that it wouldn't matter to them _who_ I came to love, or what their gender was, just so long as I was happy."

"And are you happy?"

"Very much so," she replied, turning her head so they could kiss. They heard gagging noises that let them know that Kim's twin little brothers had come in and were seeing them kiss. They deliberately held their kiss longer, just to make the two boys suffer more, before pulling away a bit and just looking at each other with beautific smiles.

James drove his daughter and her girlfriend to their date. While some would've called him old-fashioned because of some of his views, he saw how happy his daughter had become since Rebecca came to live with them and would never deny his Kimmie-cub her happiness. He told them he'd back in a couple of hours. The two girls entered the movie theater holding hands, and bought their tickets. As they approached the snackbar to get popcorn and drinks, they noticed a small group of guys watching them. Shrugging it off as typical male behavior – for both of them felt like they were being checked out – Kim and Rebecca got their stuff and then went to go see their movie. And while most people might not consider a sci-fi action thriller to be a romantic movie, it was perfect for the two of them; especially since the lead character was a woman. They'd shared a kiss during the movie, and finished it with their heads leaning together.

When the movie ended, Rebecca and Kim decided to wait for the redhead's dad outside the theater. They'd noticed, as they were leaving screen room, that the same guys who'd been checking them out before the movie had been in there. And as they'd walked out of the theater itself, those same four guys followed them. The two girls had just gotten to the end of the building to wait by one of the movie posters encased on the wall, when all four guys swaggered up to them.

"Hey, ladies," said one of them.

"Nice night, isn't it?" another asked.

"Well, it was," Rebecca replied. "Do you mind? We're waiting for our ride."

"Hey, we'll give you a . . . ride," the first one said with a wink. "And we don't mind at all."

"We don't swing that way," Kim told him firmly, which only served to widen his grin.

"Maybe you two just need to try it. You'd definitely like it."

"Look, dipshit, we're not interested so beat it," Rebecca snapped, uncrossing her arms. The one who was obviously the leader lost his easy-going expression and grabbed her bicep, hard.

"Listen, bitch," he growled, "you don't get to talk to _me_ like that. Now. You and your girlfriend are gonna show me and my friends a good time, whether you want to or not."

Rebecca looked down at his hand on her, then looked back at him. "I'll give you three seconds to remove your hand," she said quietly, "before I remove your ability to have kids in the future. Though I can't imagine any woman desperate enough to procreate with you."

"Bitch!" he snapped, but before he could even move to strike her Rebecca had lashed out with her foot and planted so firmly in his crotch he was lifted a foot in the air before falling down to his knees, and then a fetal position. His three buddies were so stunned by the sudden violence that they didn't move at all.

"I warned him," Rebecca said. That seemed to snap the other three out of their stupor and they moved to attack the two girls. Kim flipped over the two coming at her and did a sweep kick when she landed, knocking them on their asses. Rebecca took care of the last one, ducking underneath the wild haymaker and uppercutting the guy's chin. All four were down and groaning, so Kim took her kimmunicator out and called the police, informing them of what had happened.

James pulled up several minutes later to see a pair of patrol cars pulling away with lights flashing.

"What was that about, girls?" he asked as they got into the car.

"Oh, just some guys wanting to rape us," Rebecca said nonchalantly.

"What?!" James exclaimed, stunned.

"We defended ourselves without hurting them . . . much," Kim replied. "We did make them aware that we didn't want them around, and asked them leave. When they assisted, and attempted to force us, we fought back to protect ourselves. Then I called the police."

"I'm glad you two are alright," he said, then shook his head. "It's a sad thing that there are people like that in the world. People who believe that they can have what they want just because they want it, without regard to who or what is involved." He looked back at Kim for a moment. "Do you two need to give statements?"

"We gave them already, and pressed charges," his daughter informed him. "It's an open-and-shut thing, according to one of the officers. Especially since there witnesses to what had happened."

"We'll have to let your mom know what happened, Kimmie-cub," James said. "She'll be upset about it, but she'll be happy that the two of you are safe."

"I'm sorry this happened on your first night to a movie theater," Kim said to Rebecca.

"It's okay," her girlfriend reassured her. "We're fine, the movie was awesome, and I had a good time."

The ride home was quiet after that, but it was an easy and comfortable silence. Ann was, of course, a bit distraught when she learned what had almost happened, but grateful that the two girls were alright. And after they'd showered and dressed for bed, Kim and Rebecca sat on her bed to talk for a little while.

"I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Bombshell," Kim said, smiling at her girlfriend.

"I'm the lucky one, Bubbles," Rebecca insisted. "After all, I have someone like you now."

"How about we both consider ourselves lucky?"

"I'm fine with that."

"And just think," Kim said, her voice a bit dreamy, "we have the whole summer together."

"It's going to be the best summer of my life," her girlfriend said, hugging her. "And it'll be because of you."

 **E/N:** And that's the chapter. I want to thank everyone who's followed it so far; I've really enjoyed writing this story and reading your reviews.

Kim and Rebecca's relationship is slowly but surely moving forward. Kim is still recovering from her depression, and Rebecca's new to anything like this, so taking it slow is something they both need and want. Samantha and Ellen seem to be drawing closer, as well. Not mention Samantha learning that her mother is still alive, and her father has lied to her and her brothers for years.

So what'll happen next? What will DNAmy and Motor Ed do for their evil schemes (which are actually part of the Ellen's evil scheme to help Samantha get her revenge against Kim)? You can find out the answers and more in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Summer Fun 2."


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 9 – Summer Fun 2**

 _Colorado Rockies, Shego's Lair_

"It's really no surprise that Adrena Lynn failed," Samantha admitted as the two lay in bed together. It had been a couple of weeks after the blond woman had launched a spectacularly failed attack against Team Possible.

"Her mistake was in attack Kim while she was with her girlfriend," Ellen said, snuggling up closer to the green-skinned woman. "Her best option would've been to seperate the two somehow, then trap Kim before attacking her."

"She still would've lost, though," the emerald-eyed woman replied.

"That's a given. Adrena Lynn is not even a novice when it comes to fighting."

"I think, Ellen, we should step up the plan?"

"What? Why?" the gray-skinned woman asked, sitting up in surprise.

"We're not really wearing her down any," Samantha told her, also sitting up. "Yes, we are getting other villains to launch evil schemes to keep her busy, or to attack her directly, but none of them are happening fast enough. The only exception was when Monkey Fist attempted to steal that monkey thing the day after Killigan tried to blackmail the Italian government for that island."

"What do you propose, Hot Lips?" Ellen asked.

"We keep up with that part of the plan, of course," her lover explained. "We keep discretely getting all of the other villains to do what comes naturally to them, and we begin setting our scheme in motion."

"You've been thinking about this, haven't you, Gemstone?"

"I want my revenge against Kim, and I'm starting to think that if I wait any longer I'll lose the urge," she explained. "And if I do the thieving necessary to get what we need to convert that volcano lair into a full-on death trap facility instead of a lair, Possible might get reports about it."

"You sure that's a good thing?" Ellen asked.

"I can steal without being discovered," Samantha said, and her lover knew it wasn't bragging, but simple fact. "I'll get what we need, but make sure to leave traces that won't mean anything to anyone but who it's meant for."

"That's a good addition, Gemstone."

"So that's the one you're settling on for me?"

"It fits you," Ellen said quietly. "You're green, lustrous, precious, exotic, won-" She was silenced by a kiss. When her green-skinned lover pulled away, they stared at each other for a moment. "I don't want to be hurt again," the gray-skinned woman whispered.

"I'm not going to make the same mistake twice, Rainbow," Samantha replied just as softly, kissing her again.

"It's . . . it's been too long since you called me that," the other woman said, tears in her eyes as she pulled her old flame to her. They stayed that way for a while, but too soon (for them) seperated.

"We can forget about DNAmy," the green-skinned woman said. "I don't think she'll do any sort of evil scheme considering her only obsessions are creating real life Cuddle Buddies – and getting Monkey Fist to love her."

"No matter," Ellen replied. "What about Motor Ed?"

"He said he'd love to do any evil scheme when I talked to him," Samantha said, a distasteful edge to her voice.

"You talked directly to him?"

"I didn't give anything away. Not really. Just asked him if he wanted to start some trouble."

"I can tell by your tone that he refused."

" _I_ refused."

"I'm afraid I'm not following you, Gemstone."

"He was all for it, but only if it involved auto parts – and got him a chance with me."

"Disgusting."

Samantha just shuddered.

"What about the Seniors? I know that Senor Senior, Senior only does villainy as a hobby to pass the time in his retirement age," Ellen said, "but he has money beyond belief and would be able to work up an elaborate scheme as well as hire however many henchmen he needed."

"That's true," Samantha mused. "But we can't contact him directly; knowing how he considers villainy, he would catch them, brag about his evil plan, and then explain why he was doing it. So we'll need to go through his son."

"That knuckle-dragger?" the other woman in surprise.

"Oh, so you know him?"

"Only based on what you told me when we went over what villains to use in this plot."

"He has dreams of being a big pop star one day," Samantha explained. "Or something like that. He isn't anywhere near as good as he imagines that he is, but his not being the brightest bulb in the box would be an asset this time. All we'd have to do is talk to him a bit, plant an idea in his head, and he'll go running to daddy saying that _he_ wants to this. He remembers me, though, since I used to tutor him."

"I'll take of it, since I'm not really known outside of Go City," Ellen offered. "Well, except for Global Justice."

"Do you think we're meant to be, Ellen?" the green-skinned woman asked, her eyes seeming to lose focus.

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Well, think about it. The last time we met, we pretty much hated each other. After I brought you down and got you sent to jail, you vowed revenge on me and the rest of Team Go. I left the team after that, but not because of that. And now look at us? You could've refused me when I came to break you out, but you didn't." She focused back on her lover. "And even now, when you should still be hating me and wanting revenge, you've let that go. To help me with my own revenge. I betrayed you. Ain't no way around that. I hurt you by going along with what my brother had wanted. I dumped you when he told me to, and made you become evil."

"And here we are," the gray-skinned woman said, reaching up to caress a green cheek. "Not only in bed together again, but together again. We must be meant for each other, or truly in love, because of how much everything hurt back then. Perhaps the best revenge I can have for what you did to me, for betraying me like that, is to forgive you."

"That . . . that doesn't apply to Possible, does it?"

"Oh, hell no! That's about proving you're better than she is!"

 _Southern Florida, Chez Leisur_

"Thanks for inviting me along, Mister and Missus Possible," Rebecca said for probably the twelth time. Jim and Tim groaned while Kim and their parents just smiled. The Possibles, and Rebecca, were coming upon the retirement village that James's mom lived at. Two weeks after school ended, and the two adults decided to treat their kids to a week-long vacation with Nana Possible before the boys went to science camp for the summer. Kim would normally have gone to a cheerleading camp of some kind, but she'd quit the cheer squad and had no interest in returning.

"It's our pleasure, Rebecca," Ann replied. "You're our guest for the forseeable future, and you're Kimmie's girlfriend."

"I'm surprised your parents didn't mind you coming along," James told her as he pulled the rental van into Chez Leisur.

"They had for the past eight years, in a closed environment," she replied. "They wanted me to experience normal life, although I didn't know that my life wasn't what most people conisdered normal until I moved in with you all."

"And it's been fantastic since you did," Kim said, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend, making her brothers gag and moan.

"Alright, everyone, we're here!" James called out as he brought the van to a stop. Nana Possible was waiting for them and waved as they all piled out of the van. Jim and Tim ran and gave her hugs, while Kim and Rebecca helped the adults begin unpacking the van. Nana wandered over and gave Kim a hug, which was happily returned.

"And who is this beautiful young lady?" Nana asked, turning to look at Rebecca.

"I'm Rebecca Shaw," she replied, smiling. "I'm Kim's girlfriend."

"It's about time Kimberly Ann realized she was gay," the old woman said, making her granddaughter turn redder than a tomato. Then Nana's expression changed slightly. "You said 'Shaw,' right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Are you related to an Isabella Shaw?"

"Yes, ma'am. She's my mom," the ivory-toned girl replied, sensing the change.

"Nana?" Kim asked, also sensing the change but not sure what to make of it.

"Let's see what you're made of, then," Nana said.

"Nana! What are you doing?" Kim asked, getting a little irritated.

"Just seeing how capable your girlfriend is, Kim, dear," she replied.

"It's okay, Kim," Rebecca reassured her. "I don't mind."

"You kids go on," Ann told them. "We'll take care of unloading." With that, Nana Possible lead the four children to the back of the complex she lived in, where there was a large grassy area. Kim made sure her brothers stayed back while Rebecca and Nana continued walking for a bit longer. When they reached a spot they stopped and faced each other. The two women – senior citizen and teenager – bowed to each other and took up fighting positions.

"Pang Lang Quan?" Rebecca said, impressed.

"You recognize this style, then?" Nana asked, though it wasn't really a question.

"My mom was ranked just high enough to be an instructor of it," the girl replied. Nothing more was said, and for a moment no one seemed to move. Then there was a twitch and the two women sprang into action. Rebecca was taken aback for a moment at how smooth and fluidly Nana moved, which gave her the advantage. Initially. But the ivory-toned teen had the speed and reaction time to keep up with Nana's attacks. It was obvious to Rebecca, now, that the Possible matriarch was well-versed in several Shaolin styles. _But I've got my little trick_ , she thought. She'd been using Monkey Kung Fu, and kept on using it, but began merging moves and stances from the other styles she knew into them. The two of them kept themselves within a set space, but they were all over that space. Those watching realized it was a display of martial arts prowess they were unlikely to see again.

Nana was impressed with the young woman who was dating Kimberly Ann, and who was the daughter of one of the world's top martial artists. The girl wasn't afraid to take a hit in order to set up for a better move, and flowed easily between proactive and reactive patterns. Nana used a serious of kicks and blocks to force the young woman back, but Rebecca just took the hits – and then dropped down to the ground and did a leg sweep. Nana jumped over it, only get caught by a spin kick. She flipped herself around in the air and landed on her feet – only to find her opponent doing a slide underneath her. She felt a pair of hands grab her ankles,and then pull her to the ground. A back flip brought her back to her feet, and face-to-face with a fist.

"I was also taught Krav Maga," Rebecca said. Then the two stepped back and bowed to each other. That seemed to be a signal of sorts because the next thing the two knew Kim Possible had thrown herself at her girlfriend and was hugging her. Jim and Tim couldn't stop talking about what they'd just seen until Nana made a sharp, ear-piercing whistle. When everyone was looking at her, she smiled at Rebecca and said, "You are an exceptional young lady. While I'm pretty old-fashioned, especially when it comes to relationships, seeing how happy you make Kimberly Ann – and how well you fight – makes it a rather moot point. You just keep her happy and keep her safe, and we won't have any problems."

"I won't let anyone hurt my Bubbles," the ivory-toned teen said with a smile. Kim blushed at her hearing her new nickname said around her Nana.

"Good," Nana said, returning the smile. "Now, let's all go inside. I have lemon squares waiting."

The next few days were fun, to say the least; especially for Rebecca. She got to go to Disney World for the first time in her life, the whole family went to the beach, and the two teens managed to foil a bank robbery while in town. Now, it was just Kim and Rebecca at the beach; Nana Possible had pretty much forced her son and daughter-in-law to allow the two teens a chance to have 'couple time' as she put it. So the two girls were laying at the beach, just soaking up some sun after spending several minutes swimming and playing in the water. Kim needed sunscreen so she wouldn't burn, which her girlfriend happily applied to her. Rebecca was blessed in that her ivory-toned skin – and super-powered genes – prevented her from burning or tanning. After they finished their time at the beach, they were going to walk back to Chez Leisur and change into some somewhat formal wear and go on a date.

"This has been the best time of my life, ever," Rebecca said, her eyes closed beneath the sleek, spec ops-style shades she was wearing.

"I'm glad you and Nana got along," Kim replied.

"She's amazing. And so accepting for someone who believes in traditional relationships."

"She told me yesterday, while you were inside getting changed, that she might feel comfortable with my choice of partner, it was my life and my choice. That as long as I was happy with you, it was good enough for her. And she does like you, too."

"I'm so glad my parents decided to let me stay with for however long this turns out to be," Rebecca said softly. Kim didn't answer because she sensed that her girlfriend needed to talk. "Every day since that Friday, there's been something new or wonderful to see or hear or experience. Reading about things doesn't compare to actually experiencing them. I know what I'm meant to do, or at least what certain people want to be meant for. But I don't know if I want to do it for that reason. Helping you save people, just because it's the right thing to, that's what I want. It feels nice when people are thankful the help, but I'd do it whether they were grateful or not." She turned her head to look at her girlfriend. "And then there's you, Bubbles. You are the most wonderful experience I've ever had. I was always the one who was comforted, back at the facility. If I was upset, or got hurt, one of my moms was always there to comfort me and explain things to me, to help me calm down. Sometimes they'd just hold me and make me feel safe. I never really knew what either of them felt when they did that. Then you asked me, that first night, to hold you to keep the nightmares away. And right then, after you'd fallen asleep, I saw a smile on your face. And I realized why my moms would often hold me after I'd had a bad dream or got upset. I can't describe that feeling, except that . . . it felt right and true to be the one to make you feel safe."

"Rebecca," Kim said, but she couldn't continue for a moment because she was overwhelmed by emotions. "I love you," was all she could find to say. She wanted to thank her girlfriend for being there for her, for helping her when she most needed (especially considering they didn't really know each other back then), but those were the three words that came out. And in all honesty, they were only three of the seven words that needed to be said.

"I love you, too," Rebecca replied. And as the two girls kissed, they knew that those words were true, but still weren't sure if they were in love yet. But both were willing to find out.

 _Middleton, Middleton Mall_

Kim and Rebecca were sitting in the food court at the Middleton Mall when her kimmunicator went off. It was only a couple of days since they'd gotten back from visiting Nana Possible, though no one had been 'allowed' to leave without promising to visit again. And Nana had made sure to tell Rebecca, privately, that no matter what would happen in the future, she'd always be welcome to visit. That had touched the ivory-toned girl very deeply, and she'd given the much older woman a long and sincere hug. And now the two girls were on a sort of date, although both of them would've considered themselves to be just hanging out.

"Hey, Wade. What's the sitch?" Kim asked when she'd answered.

 _"You've got a hit on the site. Oh, and I took Ron down off the site since no one's seen or heard from him since he went to Japan."_

"Not even you?" _That_ was surprising.

 _"I tracked him up to a certain point, but after that it's like he disappeared into thin air."_

"So who needs our help?" Rebecca asked.

 _"Senor Senior, Senior."_

"You're kidding," the redhead said, surprised by that.

 _"Not at all. He has a plot to kidnap all of the staff members of a big label recording company and not release them until they allow his son to record some music. He's . . . well, he's asking Team Possible to come stop him."_

"So he's telling us his evil scheme, and asking us to come stop him?" Kim asked.

"Has he already kidnapped the people?" Rebecca put in.

 _"Yes and yes."_

"Ride?"

 _"It'll be at your house in twenty minutes."_

"You rock, Wade," Rebecca said.

"Hey, that's my line!" Kim said with false indignation.

After getting back home and changing into their mission wear – Kim putting on her white and blue battle suit and Rebecca getting to where her red and black battle suit for the first time – the two girls were picked up by a tilt-jet military transport. The jet turned out to be supersonic-capable, so the trip out to the Seniors' island didn't require switching rides.

"So he does this as a hobby?" Rebecca asked.

"What?"

"Being a villain."

"Oh, yeah. It was Ron's fault, actually," Kim said. "He's the one who put the idea into Senor Senior, Senior's head of being a villain. He's actually one of my preferred foes, since he follows this guidebook to being evil or something, and approaches his plots as a way to pass the time in his retirement. His plots usually revolve around making his son famous." She grinned. "Oh, and he often likes to feed me whenever he catches me."

"You're kidding!" Rebecca exclaimed in surprise.

"Nope. If I get caught – usually because of Ron tripping some kind of alarm or something – then he'll have us taken to an elaborate dining room of some sort, make sure we're restrained but still capable of escaping if we want, and then serve an equally elaborate meal while explaining his evil plot. He's a gentleman, really. If we escape the death trap we get put in, he'll try to escape, of course, but will surrender without issue if we prevent that. I've even left him alone there, waiting for the authorities to arrive, after he's surrendered. And then I'll get a call a day or so later from him saying that he made it to prison just fine, but that he'll be escaping soon."

"Wow. He _does_ sound like a great foe to have," her ivory-toned girlfriend replied.

"And we're over the drop zone," Kim said, right as the bay door underneath them opened up and dropped Team Possible into the air. With equally loud and enthusiastic shouts of joy and adrenaline, the two girls freefell towards Senor Senior, Senior's island.

The two girls landed right in the middle of the villa's foremost courtyard, and discarded their chutes. They wouldn't be leaving the way they came, anyway, and it was a hassle to repack something that wasn't going to come back with them. They were about halfway across the space when a large trap door opened up beneath them and dropped them down a long curving chute. Rebecca angled herself to where she was going first and aimed her glowing hands beneath her. The precaution turned out to be prudent as she blasted a good few laser emplacements before they tumbled out into a large space. As they skidded out onto the floor, both of them flipped up onto their feet; although Rebecca made sure to turn herself opposite her line of travel and skid her feet. Kim rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's antics.

 _"Ahh, Kim Possible. So good of you to come,"_ echoed Senor Senior, Senor's voice through speakers hidden throughout the room. _"I must apologize for not having an overly elaborate death trap this time. This scheme was a bit . . . spur of the moment, I believe would be the phrase."_

"So where are the executives?" Kim asked.

 _"Oh, they're in the room right across from you and your lovely companion. I must ask, what happened to that nice young man who is usually with you, Ron Stoppable?"_

"He retired from Team Possible for personal reasons," the redhead replied.

 _"Ah, that is too bad. Well, no matter. Right now, there are motion-activated lasers hidden throughout the room, which I am sure would pose no problem for the two of you."_

"Not really," Rebecca said.

 _"Ah! A lovely voice to go with a lovely appearance. Might I ask your name, my dear?"_

"It's Rebecca Shaw, Senor Senior, Senior."

 _"And polite as well. I am afraid that tonight I cannot make your acquaintance, so we must get back to business. As the lasers will not be a difficulty for you, I took the liberty of hiring some help from a Mister Jack Hench. He has come very highly recommended by many of my colleagues."_

"I hope they're better than the goons Drakken usually hired," Kim said.

 _"I do happen to believe in quality over quantity. I have been assured by Mister Hench that the 'henchmen' he was sent me come from a new training program he recently instituted."_

"So you're going to send your henchmen out to fight us in a room filled with motion-activated lasers?" Rebecca asked.

 _"I assure that I tested the system with them and they proved most able."_

"Well then," the ivory-toned girl said, popping her neck and cracking her knuckles. "Let's get started."

The gentlemanly villain spoke the truth, for as soon as the two girls moved lasers popped out of the floors, walls, and ceiling and begin trying to hit them. But even with their motion-tracking systems controlled by a dedicated computer network, the lasers couldn't keep up with two girls. They were flipping, dodging, jumping, rolling, and spinning out of the way, often milliseconds before being hit. And it wasn't just the room around them they bounced off of; Kim and Rebecca would dodge from a laser blast towards each other, connect for a split second, then spring off into new and random directions. Then a few more doors opened into the room, and the Seniors' henchmen sprinted and jumped into the room. Senor Senior, Senior's words about their prowess proved to be accurate as the henchmen proved to have a fair amount of martial arts training.

Unfortunately for Senor Senior, Senior, they proved to be no match for the two highly skilled teenagers. In addition to punching and kicking the henchmen, they threw them towards each other. Often when doing this, they'd bounce off the unfortunate henchman when he was thrown, sending him into the floor, a wall, or a laser beam. While she was having fun, Rebecca knew that the longer this went on, the less time there was to rescue the hostages.

"Alright," she grumbled, "that's it." She stopped moving, overcharged the plasma she was channeling into her hands before clasping them together in front of her, then detonating the energy. The explosion blasted around her out to a diameter of three or more yards, but the shockwave went further, slamming into everyone and everything before hitting the walls. Kim was affected by the shockwave, too, but easily rolled with it. Without stopping at all, she landed on the floor and launched herself towards the door that was the only way out of the room. And sure enough, just as the cultured Spanish villain had said, the hostages were in the room – being subjected to the cruel torment of listening to an extremely off-key Senor Senior, Junior attempt to sing. Rebecca, nearing the door, fired off a low-level plasma blast that knocked the handsome and muscular (but dumb as a brick) young man out cold.

With his son captured, the elderly gentleman surrendered and gave his word to the two young women that he would wait for the authorities to arrive. He'd actually called the authorities as soon as he'd seen that his henchmen had failed.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Shaw," he said, shaking the girl's hand. "I must invite the two of you two dinner some time, so that we might engage one another under less . . . strenuous circumstances."

"Don't go trying to steal my girlfriend, Senor Senior, Senior," Kim said with a smile.

"This young lady is your girlfriend? Well, congratulations are in order, then," Senor Senior, Senior said, smiling like a kindly grandfather. "Now I must insist on treating you two to dinner. Do not worry about expenses, when I send you the invitation, as I will cover everything for the two of you."

"That's very kind of you, sir," Rebecca replied, blushing.

"Think nothing of it," he responded, gently waving away the compliment. "It is my pleasure."

What no one, not even Senor Senior, Senior, knew was that someone else had been observing the battle – having hacked into the villa's security system.

 _Colorado Rockies, Shego's Lair_

"Holy shit!" Samantha exclaimed as she and Ellen had watched the hacked footage in real-time. What they had just witnessed was a display of martial arts and acrobatics that should have been impossible. At least, that was Ellen's perspective on it. Samantha knew better, of course; after all, there was only one other person in the world that could've moved like that ivory-toned girl – Rebecca Shaw, according to the hacked audio – and as far as the green-skinned woman knew, that person was dead. That plasma explosion and shockwave, though, was something new to her.

"I think I have an idea of who – or, rather, _what_ – that girl is, Gemstone," Ellen said. She turned and looked at her lover. "But I'm pretty sure – no, I'm _absolutely sure_ – you won't like it."

"What?" Samantha asked, though she believed she knew what Ellen was going to say.

"She's a clone of you," the gray-skinned woman said, knowing that it was best to blunt and upfront with her. The expression on Samantha's face said everything she didn't have to say. "Look, it's the only explanation."

"She has _red_ plasma, Ellen," Samantha growled.

"That's just a frequency- or spectrum-shift, Sam," Ellen replied, using the shortened version of her lover's name, which she knew the other woman hated. Sure enough, she got a glare that would've melted titanium. "Whether you want it to be true or not, the fact of the matter is that – based on the evidence we've seen – this Rebecca Shaw is a clone of you. That's all we know. We don't know who made her, how they did it, or why. Whatever those answers are, they don't really matter."

"How can you say that?!" the super-powered woman yelled, but her hands didn't light up. That let Ellen know that her lover was more upset than angry.

"Because right now our issue is Kim Possible, not whoever's behind that other girl's existence. Let's focus on that first, then with the mystery that is Rebecca Shaw."

Samantha let out a heavy breath, refusing to let her rising anger and confusion get the better of her. She didn't want to let Ellen know about her mother, about her possibly being alive, right now. Not with them finally getting over the past and reconnecting on a personal level again.

"You're right," she agreed. "Senior actually sprang for some of Hench's higher-quality goons. Drakken just gets the low-cost ones because he can get a bunch of them."

"And this footage does tell us something else, Samantha," Ellen said.

"What's that?"

"That we definitely have to make sure those two are seperated when we go into our endgame," the gray-skinned villainess answered. Then she smirked. "And I imagine you want to try out that plasma-wave bomb she did."

"Damn straight," Samantha agreed.

"Well, go on, then," her lover said. "Shoo!" She then made shooing motions with her hands. Shaking her head, Samantha went to the plasma-proofed gym they'd kept when overhauling this particular lair to practice that move herself. After she'd left, Ellen turned back and froze the footage. She backed it up until she had a clear shot of Rebecca Shaw, then zoomed in on the girl's face.

"Whoever you are," she whispered softly, "and wherever you came from, I am going to make sure you never hurt my Gemstone. No matter what I have to do or what it may cost me, I am going to protect her from whatever it is that you represent."

 _Middleton, Middleton Mall_

It was a few days after the mission with Senor Senior, Senior, and Kim and Rebecca were once again at the Middleton Mall. For them, it was a good place to just be together. They were sitting in the food court, as had become their habit, and sharing a super-large order of cheesey nachos and a quart-sized cup of soda. They were talking and giggling, looking less like Team Possible and more like a couple of ordinary girls in love. Their conversation had nothing to do with martial arts or super villains; they were just talking about their hopes and dreams for the future, goofy things that they weren't too serious about actually doing one day, and which action movie star was really the cutest. Today, for once, they actually didn't have a care in the world.

Nor did they know that they were also being watched.

Ron Stoppable was just standing there, watching his best friend and some other girl talk and laugh. He'd seen the flash of Kim's red hair and went to tell her hello. He'd come back to the country to finish out the summer hanging with his best friend since pre-K. And he'd also been hoping that she'd realized that she'd made a mistake when she had told him she was gay, and that they'd be able to have the boyfriend-girlfriend relationship he knew they were meant for.

Only now he knew that it would never happen. That his best friend of all time had betrayed him. Betrayed him to be with a _girl_. That was so wrong-sick to him that he couldn't articulate it even in his thoughts. Not able to stand there any longer and watch, he dropped his half-full drink into a trash can and left, angry and hurt . . . and with a slowly burning desire to get back at Kim Possible.

 **E/N:** This chapter was a bit more work to do, but when the mood hit it flowed really well. Looks like things are picking up now with Ellen and Samantha's plan for revenge. Samantha has also discovered Rebecca Shaw and what she is. She has further evidence that her mom might very well be alive, in spite of what her father and older brother told her for years.

Who will strike next? What will Samantha do now? And just what will Ron Stoppable do now? Only the next chapter, "Suprises All Around," will let you know.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 10 – Surprises All Around**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Both Kim and Rebecca just dropped down onto the couch in the Possible's den, exhausted. At this time of day, there usually wasn't anybody in the house except for the two of them anyway. Groaning, Rebecca reached up and slipped the catch of her battle suit, pulling it down to her navel. It didn't slip off of her, but it did let the cool air in the house flow over her.

"Damn, that feels good," she groaned. Kim had been pulling off her boots when her girlfriend had done that, and right now she was frozen with one boot off and the other half off, staring at her. "What?" Rebecca asked, noticing Kim's stare.

"Um," was the only thing that Kim could find to say. The ivory-toned girl realized where her girlfriend's gaze was resting and her skin flushed.

"So, uh, what's . . . you know, going on with the world's villains?" Rebecca asked, obviously trying to change the subject. "I mean, they just keep popping up."

"I don't know," the redhead replied, snapping out of her daze. "It just doesn't make sense. I've had to deal with villains almost back to back, but it's usally like one or two villains per week. But nothing like this. Then there's those mysterious thefts. I'd swear it was Shego behind them, but no one's seen or heard from her since the Bueno Nacho thing."

Rebecca nodded in agreement. It had been three weeks since the mission to deal with Senor Senior, Senior, and it seemd like there was some villain attack, or scheme, or even a natural disaster. One time a villain _causing_ a natural disaster.

"It's definitely been an eventful summer," the ivory-toned girl said. She shifted her position on the couch, but winced and groaned when she did.

"What's wrong, Bombshell?" Kim asked, concerned. She'd already taken off her other boot, but wasn't so sure about following her girlfriend's lead in unsealing.

"I think one of those robots bruised my hip," she replied, rubbing the offending spot. "I'll heal up fast, of course, but right now it's still tender."

"Rebecca," the redhead said. The ivory-toned girl's head snapped up at the change in her girlfriend's tone. It wasn't stern or aggressive or anything Rebecca was familiar with. The look on Kim's face, combined with that tone, caused something to awaken within the ivory-toned girl. She felt her pulse start racing and her skin flush again; but it wasn't from embarassment this time.

"Kim?" she asked, noticing how different her voice sounded. She found her breath coming faster.

"You know that I love you, right, Bombshell?" the redhead asked.

"I know," the ivory-toned girl agreed. "I love you, too, Bubbles."

"There has never been anyone, in my entire life, who has done for me what you have," Kim told her, moving closer to her girlfriend. "When you didn't know me, you were there for me. I needed you, before I even realized that. This past month has been the most wonderful time of my life. It . . . it feels like I've known you all my life. I don't know if it's too soon or not, Rebecca, but I . . . I want to see you. All of you. Nothing between us. I want . . . I want to show you the love I feel for you." Kim took a deep breath and let it out, her eyes not leaving Rebecca's. "I'm in love with you, Rebecca."

Tears were running down Rebecca's face as Kim had been speaking.

"Kim," she said, swallowing a lump in her throat before being able to continue. "My parents trusted you to help me out, show me what it's like to be normal. I don't know if they thought that falling in love would be a part of all of that, but I'm so glad that they did ask you to help. You've shown me so much and opened not just my eyes to the world that's around me, but my heart, too. I used to watch my parents whenever they were together, watch how they treated each other. And, even with the disagreements they'd have now and then, I would hope – and dream – that one day I would find someone to be that close to. Someone who knew all me about – my strengths, my weaknesses, even my faults – and would accept me anyway. I'm just so overwhelmed right now, so happy and scared and nervous, that I don't know what to do."

"I do," Kim told her, before leaning and giving her a kiss. It was like touching an active circuit, for the both of them. Electricity seemed to jump between them at that instant, causing them both to moan and come closer together. Arms wrapped around bodies, pressing them tighter against each other. The way they touched and caressed each other showed their inexperience in this, but neither of them wanted perfection. The not knowing, the learning and mistakes, made this perfect for them. There was no such thing as perfection when it came to making love, after all. When they broke off the kiss, both a moment and an eternity later, they were breathing hard and couldn't find words to say. But the look in their eyes said it all. Standing up, Kim held out her hand to Rebecca and together the two of them went to her room.

When they got to Kim's room, they made sure to shut and lock the door, and pull the shade down over the windows. This, their first time, they wanted to keep between them. After they had made sure no one could see or get in, they turned to getting each other undressed. There was nothing rushed or sensuous about it; they were both inexperienced at this, after all. Getting out of the battle suits – or, rather, helping each other out of the battle suits – proved to be a bit of task. They struggled with getting their arms and legs out of the sleeves and all, giggling at their failed attempts to be smooth. Surprisingly, both of them confessed to picking up their 'techniques' from watching romance and action movies. When the suits were finally peeled off and tossed into a corner somewhere, each girl finally got to have a full look at the beauty before her.

As she had noticed during that first week, Kim saw that she and Rebecca had almost the same body. Her girlfriend's ivory-toned small and pert breasts were capped with rose-red peaks, and when her eyes trailed downward, Kim saw that Rebecca's hair color really was natural. She had smooth, taut muscles, and her skin glistened because of the layer of sweat sheathing it. Her short, punk-cut hair was absolutely perfect as far as the other teen was concerned.

Rebecca, for her part, was taken aback by the vision before her. Kim's small, perky breasts were topped with cherry-colored peaks, and her smooth, taut belly flowed down to the bare junction between her thighs. This was her first time seeing someone other than herself naked, and she was getting a treat.

Kim sat down on the bed next to Rebecca, and they leaned together into a kiss that quickly grew heated. Rebecca wobbled a bit, and Kim reached up to steady her, only for her hand to come to rest on one of her breasts. That made the ivory-toned girl gasp a bit in surprise before moaning. Kim moaned as well, and soon the two were laying on the bed, each one playing and caressing the other.

"I don't really know what to do," Rebecca whispered to her girlfriend.

"That's okay," Kim assured her. "Neither do I."

When Ann came home from the hospital, she noticed that her husband wasn't there. _He must still be at the science center_ , she thought with a smile. The house had been blessedly quiet since her twin sons had gone to science camp, although they were due back in less than a week. Looking around, she realized that she seemed to be the only one there. She didn't think nothing about it at first, believing that her daughter and her girlfriend were out on a mission. Then she noticed Kim's white and blue boots from her current mission clothes in front of the sofa. _That's odd_ , she thought. _Kim knows better than to just leave her boots lying around._ Sighing, she picked them up and headed up to her daughter's room, intending to give her boots and a lecture about leaving things lying around. But when she tried to open the door, she found it to be blocked. Frowning, she pushed harder against it and managed to make whatever was on it slide off. Opening the door, she poked her head into the bedroom and opened her mouth to speak – only to be shocked speechless. The first thing she noticed was the smell of sex in the air; immediately after that was the sight of Kim and Rebecca on her daughter's bed, stark naked and in each other's arms. Then she found her voice again.

"KIMBERLY ANN POSSIBLE!"

 _South Pacific, Lair #34-9/L_

"Everything seems to be ready," Ellen said as she scanned the console in the control room of the 'Death Lair.'

"Death traps all set?" Samantha asked, walking up behind the other woman and draping her arms around the gray-skinned woman's shoulders.

"Yes, though considering that we made sure they are barely lethal makes me wonder why we're still calling them death traps."

"Because, for anyone other than Team Possible, they would be."

"You have a point, Gemstone," Ellen agreed. The two of them had been at the lair a few hours already, getting things set for the coming battle. The battle that Team Possible had had with the robots had actually been a pure coincidence, but the two villainesses readily took advantage of the situation. With the girls occupied, they broke into the Middleton Science Center to steal something. They didn't really care what, since their action was designed to get Kim Possible's attention. But what they did end up grabbing could prove to be very useful a surprising variety of doomsday devices. In fact, Ellen was in the process of turning it into . . . something.

"You know," Samantha said, "I still don't understand why you didn't pop that doo-hickey into one of the death machines."

"That 'doo-hickey' is actually a positronic matrix crystal-occilation trans-morpher."

"Doo. Hickey," the green-skinned woman reiterated.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm reconfiguring it to be a weapon of sorts," Ellen replied. "I'm making the key component in a genetic-recombinance pro-seq-" She stopped at her lover's expression. "I'm turning it into the power supply matrix for a DNA resquencer. It won't affect 'normal' human beings, but anyone with an obviously non-standard DNA structure will have the 'alien' DNA removed."

"So it removes super powers, then."

"More or less. It might prove lethal to clones."

"Why to clones?" Samantha asked.

"Because, from what I've been able to understand from scientific journals, cloning is – at its most basic – copying living organisms. The copy is always different from the original, even if the DNA is 'pure.' Rebecca Shaw, being a clone of you, will be essentially identical to you on a cellular level. But genetically there'll be differences. Especially since her powers are frequency-shifted to red instead of green. It actually gives her a _different_ kind of plasma than what you have."

"Wait a minute," her lover interrupted. "You mean that because her DNA is different than mine because of the cloning and color shift, that your doo-hickey won't rip her powers away but will rip her apart."

"Only at the genetic level," Ellen elaborated. "It will rip her _DNA_ apart, causing her body to fail completely."

"It'll kill her," Shego said flatly.

"Yes. Though I'm not certain if it'll do it right away or if it'll be a delayed effect." The gray-skinned woman looked at her lover. "I know you don't kill, Samantha, and believe me I'm grateful for that. But this is a just-in-case thing. You know, worst-case-scenario. Look," Ellen said, sighing at Samantha's expression, "I'm pretty sure that that clone of you has a limited lifespan, anyway. I seriously doubt its been around for sixteen years, so they probably had to fast-grow it to get it to this age and level. I'm no geneticist, but I'm guessing that that shortens its lifespan. If my device works instantly, it'll be a mercy for it so it won't have to suffer a prolonged and agonizing death."

"I suppose," Samantha said reluctantly, feeling strange as her girlfriend talked about killing (merciful or not) a person that, from one perspective, could be considered her sister. _Damn it_ , she thought. _I am_ not _going soft._ But, still, it didn't really sit right with her, and that made her irritated.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

If she hadn't been so angry at the two teenagers, Ann knew she would've found their reactions to her shout hilarious. Both girls jerked up, smacking their heads together with twin cries of "Ow!" followed by Rebecca – on the edge of the bed – falling off and Kim trying to keep her from falling only to be pulled off herself. Standing up as fast as they could, Rebecca snatched a blanked from a nearby chair to cover herself while Kim hid behind a blanket. One look at Ann's face told them they were in trouble.

"You two get dressed right now," she said quietly, "and come downstairs to the den. We need to have a talk." Both girls gulped as Ann descended out of the room. When they had gotten dressed – forgoing socks and shoes – they made their way to where they'd been told to go. Ann was sitting on the sofa, and directed the two girls to sit at the other end. She was surprised to see that while both girls wore an expression of guilt, is more like the guilt of being caught than the guilt of doing something they weren't supposed to do. She did smile a little on the inside when she saw them holding hands, expressing solidarity with each other even in the face of impending trouble.

"Sit," she said sternly when they stopped by the couch. After the two of them had sat down, silence descended while the elder redhead studied them.

"Kimberly Ann, you two are in so much trouble!" Ann said as she looked at the two teens. "What were you thinking?!"

Kim and Rebecca flinched but didn't say anything, not wanting to incur more of the older woman's wrath.

"What would have happened if your brothers had come in while you and Rebecca were in the middle of that?!"

The two teens looked at their bare feet, embarassed at having been caught like that. Ann took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Kimberly Ann, I will warn you once and once only. If that ever happens again, I will call Rebecca's parents and have them come to pick her up."

"But Mom!" Kim whined

"None of that, Kimberly Ann! If I ever hear any of that going on again, whether anyone else is in the house with you or not, _you_ will be ground until after New Years and Rebecca will be back with her parents."

"If they can find me," Rebecca said, snapping Ann's attention to her.

"What?"

"The moment you call my moms, I will be gone," she replied. "I was raised in a Global Justice facility by the head of that agency and its lead scientist. I know every method that they know about to find someone. I can disappear completely and without a trace. No one would be able to find me. And if Kim wanted to come with me there is no way on Earth I'd stop her. I don't just love Kim, I'm _in_ love with her."

"You two are too young to know what love is!"

"I've only been out in the 'real world' for a month and half, and I already know that I never, ever feel for anyone else what I feel for Kim," Rebecca replied. "She means everything to me, and I would do anything for her. All we did was express our love for each other, and you're making that seem like it's wrong! You're perfectly fine with your daughter being a lesbian, but then you go and come down on her when she expresses her love in that way! We're both girls, so there's no way we can get pregnant! We weren't just having sex! We were making love! Why is that so wrong?! Why is wrong to express our love for each other like that?!"

By this point Rebecca was crying, really crying tears were running down her cheeks like a swift-moving river, and her shirt was already soaked with tears. Ann looked down at her lap rather than snap at the girl. Right now, that would be like kicking a hurt puppy that was on its back. Ann took a deep breath and let it out. She was angry with the two girls about what she knew had happened, but Rebecca had made some good points. How _could_ she be so accepting of her daughter's homosexuality, why was she angry about them having sex? The more she thought about that, the more she realized that it was hippocritical of her. And she also knew that her daughter having sex – making love – was a sign that her little Bubble-butt was growing up. She looked up at the two frightened and worried teenagers, one of whom was still crying.

"Come here, Rebecca," Ann said. The ivory-toned girl hesitantly made her way closer to her girlfriend's mom, and ended up being pulled into a hug. "I don't agree with you talking back to me like that," she told her softly, rubbing the girl's back to help her calm down. "But you did make some good points. I'm not happy that you two are sexually active, but in all honesty you'd probably find a way to stay that way whether I forbid it or not."

"I didn't mean to go off on you like that, Missus Possible," Rebecca said in a little voice.

"I know, honey, I know. But even us grown-ups need a reality check once in a while." Ann sighed. "I won't forbid the two of you from having sex or making love, even though I'm certain that if I _asked_ you would stop out of respect for me and everyone else in this house. I will ask you two, though, to be respectful of everyone else. I do remember what it's like to be young and hormonal, you now." All three of them chuckled and Kim came over to get a hug from her mom.

"Thanks, Mom," Kim said.

"I am afraid that I still have to punish the two of you, though," Ann replied, "for traumatizing me like that."

"That's fair," Rebecca agreed.

"No desserts, no tv, and no sparring for the next week."

"What about missions?" Kim asked.

"I'll allow those," Ann agreed. "Just, please, try to keep your lovemaking as quiet as possible."

 _Middleton, Rockwaller Residence_

Bonnie was sitting on her bed with the door to her room locked, holding on to a pillow. She had her door locked because she didn't her bitch sisters barging in on her like they always did. _In fact_ , she thought, _it's about time for-_ Then there was a loud pounding on the door, followed by Lonnie yelling, "Open this door, Bon-Bon!" _Yep_ , she thought. _Right on cue._

"We mean it, you little bitch!" Connie yelled.

"Go fuck yourselves!" Bonnie yelled back.

"Who do you think you're talking to you, you little bitch?!" snarled one of her older sisters.

"If I wanted that question answered, I'd be watching the Science Channel, shit-for-brains!" Bonnie snarled. "And if you two retards don't get the fuck away from my door, I'll unlock it after I've gotten the knife I keep under my fucking bed!" She'd had it with her sisters picking on her and demeaning her. "And if you try to get Mom to make me come out so you can fuckin' torment me, I'll make sure to her about the two of you sneaking out every Friday night and going barhopping! If you're lucky, maybe I won't mention those 'special boxes' you two keep under your beds!" She heard the sound of her sister fleeing from her door, and sighed. She hated her life. Hated how she had to act just like her sisters in order to get them to leave her alone. _Hell, I practically don't have any friends at school because of all of this shit I get here_ , she told herself. That's part of what had her in such a mood; the rest of it was the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about Kim Possible.

 _She thinks she's all that_ , Bonnie thought. _What's painful, though, is that she actually is. She can do so much – cheerleading, martial arts, saving the world. And what can I do? Just cheerleading. That's it. Why am I such a bitch? After all, I was kinda nice to Kim back when she was depressed._ Bonnie remembered that day with crystal clarity because it was so out of character for her. And then Kim just giving up on . . . everything. And now she had a girlfriend that was just like her. Someone that could do for the redheaded-teen what she herself couldn't, could give Kim what Bonnie couldn't. _Hold the fuck up!_ she thought at herself. _What the fuck is that about?! I don't like Kim! Not one bit. Even if she is attractive, and smart, and flexible; with legs that just . . . Aargh!_ Bonnie tried banging her head into her pillow but that obviously didn't work at all. _Why can't I stop thinking about her?! Especially like_ that _?!_

 _ **Because she's everything you want to be, but don't want to work for,**_ a corner of her mind whispered.

 _I don't want to be like her!_ she protested, knowing she was arguing with herself.

 _ **Stop lying to yourself, Bon-Bon. You've liked Kim Possible for as long as you were aware of boys**_ **and** ** _girls._**

 _I'm not gay!_

 _ **Sure. Just like you don't check out the girls during practice, or watch how that new girl hangs around with**_ **your** ** _Kimmie. Look what denial's done to you so far._**

Bonnie didn't want to keep arguing with herself, so she just denied those thoughts like she always did . . . and tried to ignore the insistent truth they contained.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Ann hadn't pulled out the spare bed after the talk she'd had with Kim and Rebecca; she didn't want James to asking her about it, though she did intend to talk to her husband about what was going on between the two girls. It wasn't a discussion she was ready for at the moment, so she would wait until she'd gotten over the shock before talking it over with him. She sighed, and went into the kitchen to make brainloaf.

Kim and Rebecca had gone up to 'their' room after the talk, and after promising Kim's mom that they wouldn't do anymore lovemaking right then. She didn't make them promise to not do it after everyone went to bed, but they would hold off for tonight to be nice to her after she'd been so nice about everything. Neither felt guilty about what had happened between them earlier, however. For now, they just sat on the bed – their bed – and talked about it. They really didn't get to talk long, however, as the kimmunicator went off.

"Hey, Wade," Rebecca said, since she'd grabbed it first. "What's the sitch?"

 _"You guys know those random robberies that kept happening while you two were dealing with those villain attacks?"_

"Yeah, so?" Kim asked.

 _"Well, it turns out that they weren't so random. A few hours ago, security footage at the Middleton Science Center caught Shego stealing something. And she wasn't anywhere near your dad, Kim."_

"Thanks, Wade. What did she take?"

 _"A positronic matrix crystal-occilation trans-morpher,"_ he replied.

"In English, Wade."

 _"Basically it's a semi-compact, ultra-powerful power generator. The thing is, it can be used in a lot of pretty evil schemes."_

"Was Drakken with her?"

 _"According to my information, he's still in The Crate."_

"How do you know that?" Rebecca asked.

 _"I have my . . . ways. But that isn't important. Outside cameras caught her climbing into one of Drakken's hovercraft – with Electronique."_

"Who's she?" Kim wondered.

 _"Not real sure. I did find out that she has electrical powers she can channel through a special suit she wears, and she tangled with Team Go back before Shego left. In fact, based on what I just found out, Shego's the one who brought her down."_

"And they're _working together_?" both girls asked simultaneously.

 _"Ignoring the freakiness of that, yes. I don't know why, or what they're up to, but I did through a trace on the hovercraft's signal. They went to an island in the South Pacific. And your ride is about ten minutes away."_

"You rock, Wade," Kim and Rebecca said at the same time.

 _Somewhere in Southeast Asia_

Monkey Fist was sitting in his meditation chamber, trying to center himself before attempting to go after first piece of the Blessing of Sun Wukong again, when his monkey ninjas began screeching. Snapping his eyes open, he reached out with his awareness (an ability granted by being the _true_ possessor of the Mystical Monkey Power) and sensed the approach of mystical monkey energy. He'd just gotten to his feet when several of his loyal minions were thrown into the chamber – and were then followed by . . .

"Ron Stoppable," Monkey Fist said. "So you've come to face your doom instead of waiting for it."

"I'm not here about that, Monkey Fist," the blond teen said. This confused the former archaeologist.

"It doesn't matter why you have come here. I will defeat you and claim the power you possess that is rightfully mine!"

"You can't beat me now, you know. I've spent the last two months training intensively to access and control the Mystical Monkey Power I have. Neither of us would be in any condition to claim the other's power. So I want a truce."

"A truce? To what end?"

"I help you collect whatever monkey artifacts you're after right now, and you help me."

"Help you?" Monkey Fist asked incredulously. "Help you do what?"

"Get my own revenge. When we're done, we can finish our business," Ron said. Monkey Fist actually thought that over, not wanting to be hasty, and came to a decision.

"A truce it is," he said, holding out his hand.

Ron smiled and accepted the handshake.

 **E/N:** Whoa snap! Kim and Rebecca have their first intimate experience and Ron has gone evil! Samantha and Ellen have revealed themselves to Team Possible, and the electrical villainess is making something that could kill Rebecca! And now we learn that Bonnie might have a crush or _more_ on Kim Possible!

What's going on here?!

You'll have to read "Showdown 1 – Fire and Lightning" to find out!


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Also, the real names of Team Go I created for this story, too. It came to me one night and I decided to go with it. Many thanks to my brother Talon and my friend Cyendrea for the help with developing this story, and for their future help in developing it. Starting with this chapter, RF will now be updated every other day.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 11 – Showdown 1 – Fire and Lightning**

 _South Pacific_

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Rebecca said as the she and Kim freefell through thirteen thousand feet. The ride Wade had hooked them up with turned out to be a high-altitude adapted C-130 Hercules owned by a global weather monitoring and research organization. Their link up with it was a helicopter owned by the same group; Kim and Rebecca had helped them out before when some former weather reporter, had hijacked their plane and the experimental cloud moisture saturation reader it carried. The crew of the plane had willingly detoured to the South Pacific since it would help out Team Possible. They'd even had high-altitude parajump gear onboard for the two teens, which was why the two of them were now freefalling at terminal velocity.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, carefully turning her head to look at her girlfriend. She had to be careful because any unnecessary motion could send her tumbling off course.

"I don't know," the other girl admitted. "Something's just not right. Shego and Electronique have been loose this whole time, yet only _now_ are getting indications that they're up to something?"

"Never thought about that," the redhead replied. Now that Rebecca had brought it up, Kim was getting a bad feeling herself. According to Wade, Drakken was still imprisoned at The Crate, even after the near-breakout they'd had. She didn't know how Wade was able to get that information, since he'd also told her that The Crate possessed a closed-off computer system that had no in-going or out-going signal equipment. That stuck in the back of her mind, but she couldn't dwell on it right now; there were more immediate problems to take care of first. "We'll just have to be extra-careful and -alert, Bombshell."

The two young women held off on pulling their ripcords until they'd passed through three thousand feet, and even held off until they hit fifteen hundred. Rebecca let out a whoop as the chutes jerked them upright, and they used the risers to glide their way to the volcanic island where Shego was holed up at.

"Looks like a typical Drakken lair," Kim said as they got closer to the island.

"I don't see a lair at all," Rebecca replied.

"That's because it's underground, probably mostly within the volcano itself."

About fifty feet off the ground, the two teens released themselves from their harnesses and angled into the trees, using the branches to drop their speed and get them safely to the ground. The two had landed in battle-ready positions, but found nothing waiting for them. Something that actually set them a bit more on edge. From what Kim had been able to learn about Electronique – courtesy of Wade – the electrical-powered villain was capable of turning anything into a weapon (or making something that was already a weapon into an even better weapon). And of course both girls knew how dangerous Shego was; Kim from experience and Rebecca from the fact that she'd been created (officially) to take on Shego.

"I . . . didn't meant for us to get into trouble," Rebecca said as the two began moving, looking for a way into the lair.

"What?" Kim asked, not expecting a comment like that.

"With your mom," the shimmer-haired girl added, letting Kim know what she was referring to.

"Oh, um, that," the redhead said, a little embarrased. "It's no big."

"But still . . ." her girlfriend said, her voice trailing off.

"Bombshell, it's so not the drama," Kim replied, smiling. She turned and pulled her girlfriend into a hug. "Even if I'd known she'd react like that, I still would've done it. I love you, after all." She stepped back, breaking off the hug. "But we need to focus on this mission right now, okay?"

"Sure thing, Bubbles," Rebecca said, returning her girlfriend's smile.

And right then, a trap door opened underneath them. With dual yelps, they fell into a well-greased chute that had them slipping fast. Rebecca lit up her hands in order to provide some light for them.

"Why the _fuck_ does every single villainous lair have random trap doors?!" Rebecca snarled, holding her hands up.

"What makes you think _I_ know?" Kim retorted, though she was wondering the same thing.

" _You_ did this for years before _I_ came along," was the smart-assed reply.

"And I _still_ haven't figured it out!" the redhead responded. They didn't have any more time for witty retorts because, right then, a dividing wall slammed down from the ceiling of the extra-wide chute, cutting the two girls off from each other. They'd both yanked their hands to themselves to avoid having them cut off. It no longer mattered to either girl that they were in a villain's lair that had who knew what traps and weapons in it; all that mattered was that they were apart.

 _Rebecca_

"Kim!" Rebecca shouted, though it was a bit late as she'd been shocked to be next to her girlfriend one second and then yanking her hand back to avoid losing it. She was now seperated from Kim and heading who knew where. Her eyes widened and she flared up her plasma to blast a row of spikes that thrust from the sides of the chute, then had to roll herself quickly to one side and then the other as spikes popped up from the floor. She squeaked and had to curl up into a ball and tumble forward faster to avoid spikes from the ceiling.

"This is just fucked up!" she shouted, right before popping out of the chute – ten feet in the air in a room. "Oooh, shiiiit!" she yelled as she arced towards the floor, which was now opening to reveal a pool of lava. Reaching to her hip, she grabbed the grappling hook hairdryer she carried – just like Kim – and fired it at the ceiling. It lodged into the roof and she clamped on the trigger, stopping the cable and swinging herself to the other side of the trap floor. When she released the hook and placed the launcher back on her hip, she noticed a hole was now in the floor right where she was going to land.

"You have to got to be kidding me," she groaned as she arced perfectly into the gap and found herself sliding down another chute. She screamed almost immediately because _this_ chute was electrified. What she did next was instinctive, and probably not currently possible as a conscious action: she generated a plasma field around herself. It was composed of equal portions of kinetic, thermal, and pure energy, and kept her from touching the electrified metal. The intense short-range electromagnetic frequencies the field was giving off actually short-circuited the booby traps in the chute, causing them to deploy prematurely – and thereby allowed them to be avoided – or overloaded them and shutting them down. After what felt like forever, but was only five minutes or so, she finally tumbled into a large room that looked like it had been a lab of some kind.

And there, waiting for her, was a woman with a gray-skinned face, eletric-blue eyes, and cable-like hair – in a ten-foot-tall mechanized suit.

"So," the woman said, "you're the bitch ruining my lover's life."

"I'm Rebecca," the shimmer-haired teen said, getting to her feet. "You must be Electronique, since you're running your mouth instead of fighting."

"You're definitely Samantha's clone," Electronique said. "I always thought that her snarky attitude was genetic."

"We Shaw women are all the same," Rebecca agreed. She cracked her knuckles and popped her neck.

"Her mother's dead, you know. _You're_ just a poor Global Justice attempt to copy someone unique! You're a mere clone, like a photocopy or a scanned image. You look like the original, but you're really a poor imitation."

"Are you done yet?" the ivory-toned girl said with a yawn, looking _and_ sounding bored. "All of these 'clone' insults are boring, and I've got better things to do with my time, Double-A."

"Double-A?" Electronique echoed.

"Yeah, like the batteries, doy!"

"I'm not going to let you hurt her," the gray-skinned woman growled, flexing the mech-suit's hands and arms. "When I'm done with you, and after she's kicked that Possible girl's ass, I'm gonna kill her to make sure no one hurts my Samantha again."

"You're going to kill Kimmie?" Rebecca asked in a low voice. Her hands flared with red plasma.

"After I've killed you, of course," Electronique replied in a matter-of-fact voice. Rebecca grinned right then, but it was a smile that would've chilled liquid nitrogen and sent the boogeyman looking for an army to hide behind. Even the superpowered villainess felt unnerved by it.

"Bring it on, bitch," she said, before blasting the ground _behind_ her with plasma and propelling herself forward faster than Electronique had anticiapted. She barely had time to dodge the hammer kick coming at her. The mech-suit's left arm lashed out and slammed into the plasma-powered teen, knocking her flying across the room. Rebecca spun herself in mid-air to recontrol her momentum, and sprang forward again as soon as her feet had touched the floor. She wanted to rip the older woman apart, slowly, and was also horrified of that thought. She knew it was her emotions – specifically her anger and love – talking to her, and that it was a natural reaction. These thoughts, this mental assessment, was occuring in a detached part of Rebecca's mind, since the rest of it was occupied with attacking her enemy and avoiding the supercharged electrical energy blasts coming at her.

Electronique could not believe how this _girl_ was moving. It was like watching a self-aware pinball careening through an obstacle course. No person on earth, super powers or not, could outrun light, yet this red-and-black-haired girl was avoiding all of her attacks. She deployed two additional electro-cannons from the mech-suit's back, and found her attacks being countered by plasma blasts. Whenever a plasma sphere struck a lightning strike, there was a purple-colored explosion at the site of the impact. With a snarl, she triggered the room's defenses and laser cannons popped out of the walls and ceiling, and the floor became electrified. Electronique's mech-suit was insulated against electrification, especially since she channeled her powers through it, but her opponent had no such defense.

Or so she thought. The villainess's assumption proved wrong as Rebecca's battle suit had adapted to electrocution attacks and was automatically generating a low-level electrical field that countered the attack. The ivory-toned girl boosted herself into the air using her plamsa, then fired off another plasma burst to drive herself downwards. She rocketed into Electronique and her mech-suit, slamming the woman into the floor hard enough to make her bounce off of it. Rebecca spiraled through the air, coming to a landing on her feet for a split-second before sprinting forward and slamming herself into the back of the mech-suit as Electronique just got to her feet. The impact caused the not-quite-balanced villainess to stumble forward and hit her knees, allowing Rebecca to plasma charge a hand and plunge it into the machine's back. She ripped out an electro-cannon before being tossed off by the gray-skinned woman's sudden movement. Hitting the floor and rolling, Rebecca couldn't help but let out a scream as the electricity coursing through the floor jumped and juiced into her head. Bouncing to her feet, she dashed right at Electronique and was knocked back by a direct blast from all three of the woman's remaining weapons. She slammed into the wall and rebounded off of it, but before she could hit the floor she was struck by the beams of multiple laser cannons. Screaming as the beams of coherent light ripped through her battle suit and lashed into her body, she fell to the floor with smoke drifting from and _out of_ her body.

"You know, I'd built a weapon using the last thing Samantha stole," Electronique said as she walked slowly to the fallen hero. "To put it simply, it's meant to kill you. By ripping your body apart at the cellular level."

"I would say I'm flattered," Rebecca replied, coughing. She tried to stand up, but only managed to get to her knees. "But that would imply I had some respect for you." She coughed again, a bit harder this time, and watched as a bit of blood spattered on the floor. The sight of that shocked her, though not for the reason one would assume. In all of her time fighting, both back when she lived at GJHQ and during her missions with her girlfriend, she'd never been hurt bad enough to cough up blood like that. Except for one time back at GJHQ; they'd had to rebuild one entire floor after that incident. Fortunately, no one had been killed (hospitalized for weeks at a time, with some being forcibly retired due to medical issues, but not killed); though it was a near thing. She'd gone berserk, which some pricey GJ psychological specialist had said was a mental defense mechanism for her. Slamming her hands into the floor, Rebecca _pushed_ herself up and into the air, discharging the plasma around her hands to get her up and over Electronique in her battle suit. Trailing a stream of plasma from both hands, she drew back a fist and punched it forward, blasting a focused stream of semi compressed plasma out and blowing off the right arm of the woman's mech-suit. The loss of mass caused Electronique to stumble, but not badly. However, when she turned around to confront her enemy (and also stepping out of the way of a pair of redirected laser beams), she had to flinch away as the last electro-cannon on her back was blown off by a plasma blast. Staggering from the force of the explosion, the cable-haired woman was thrown to her knees by the impact of Rebecca slamming into her back. She was knocked foward and slammed into the floor, with a chance to watch the ivory-toned girl land on her feet and flip away to avoid a laser beam. With the older woman temporarily out of commission, Kim's girlfriend began blasting laser emplacements. She'd gotten two-thirds of the way done when a concentrated burst of pure electricity hit her in the back. Screaming as her body arched and twisted, she fell to the floor in intense pain.

"Don't take your eyes off of me, you fucking bitch," Electronique growled, lowering her mech-suit's left arm. "You can't win." Then _another_ weapon deployed from the mech-suit's back, only this one was a sleek and sinister looking weapon. "I'm gonna rip your cells apart now." A sparkling black beam lanced from the weapon and struck the floor right after Rebecca had somersaulted out of the way. Electronique screamed in incoherent rage and began indiscriminantly firing off her Genetic Diffusion Gun, hoping to get lucky. Rebecca tried to counter the blasts with plasma bursts, but the beam cut through them easily. _Gotta think of something_ , the girl though. _Bubbles is with Shego._ Then she recalled the way the laser beams bounced off the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room she was in. She guessed – and hoped – that they'd do the same to this new energy beam and punched a plasma-wreathed fist into the floor and blasted off a panel. Holding up, she kept still long enough for Electronique to fire the weapon directly at her. Her plan worked in that the panel reflected the beam into Electronique, who screamed and yelled as the beam ripped out the foreign part of her genetic structure – specifically her ability to generate and manipulate electrical energy. Unfortunately for Rebecca, the beam also went through the panel and hit her, knocking her backwards. She blacked out for a moment, but when Rebecca came to she still felt like shit so she knew she wasn't dead. She looked over to where Electronique was and noticed the villainess trying to get up. She couldn't have that, so she walked over and blasted off the mech-suit's last arm.

"Go on," the woman grunted, coughing. "Kill me."

"You don't get it, do you?" Rebecca asked.

"Get what?" Electronique snapped.

"I'm the good guy," the ivory-toned girl told her. "I don't kill people. You don't have your powers anymore, thanks to your own weapon, while I'm still alive. You're hurt a bit, too. Not enough to be in danger of further complications, but enough to not hinder me any further."

"I can't let you hurt the woman I love," was the pained response.

"I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't," Rebecca admitted. "But I won't kill her. And if any of us survives what happens next, I'll make sure to have Mother keep you two together."

"Who the hell is your mother?"

"Betty Director, the head of Global Justice. My mom, Isabella Shaw, is the head of Global Justice's advanced research division. Shego – Samantha – is her daughter, too; just like I am. She'll want her daughter to be happy."

"Bullshit! Samantha's mom died a year after she left her family behind!"

"She didn't leave them behind. Her husband slandered her reputation, ruined her life, then divorced her and made sure she wouldn't be able to ever see her kids again!" Rebecca snapped, angry at the other woman. "If it hadn't been for Mother, who knows what might've happened!"

"Wait a minuted," Electronique said. "She's alive?"

"Yes, and desperately wanting to see my sister again."

"You'll . . . you'll keep us together, no matter what?"

"Well, I can't promise anything but I'll do my best. And that's if any of us make it out of here a live." Rebecca looked around the room. "Now how the fuck do I get out of here?"

"Let me," Electronique said. She pushed a button within what was left of her mech-suit and a section of the wall slid up. "You're on your own for the booby traps, but that corridor will eventually lead you to your sister and girlfriend."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Can't stop you right now, and I'm hoping that a bit of help will get you to help me out with your moms."

"Like I said, I'll do what I can. However, I won't make any promises about what _I'll_ do to my sister."

"Then I'll just have to bust out of prison again and kill you."

"Fair enough," Rebecca agreed and dashed out of the room. Electronique laid her head down and groaned.

" _Fuck_ ," she groaned. "That little bitch hits _harder_ than Samantha did at that age."

Rebecca ran down the corridors, searching for her girlfriend and blasting and dodging any traps that happened along the way. It took longer than she wanted it to – she had wanted to be right at Kim's side the instant she left that room – but she found where Kim and Shego were. At least, there were sounds of fighting coming from the other side of the wall, but she figured that had to be them. That was confirmed when an impossible shriek of pain hammered at her ears.

"Kimmie!" she screamed, blasting a hole through the wall. When the dust cleared, she felt like her heart had stopped. Her girlfriend, Kim Possible, was trying to pick her badly bruised and battered body off the floor. She was having a nearly impossible time doing it, though, as one of her arms was looking like it was broken completely in a couple of places, and the other arm looked dislocated. Plus she had numerous cuts and slashes all over her body. Samantha Gibbs – aka Shego – was stalking towards the redheaded teen hero, obviously with the intent to do far more damage to the girl. But both stopped and looked at the disturbance and saw Rebecca. Kim tried to smile at seeing her girlfriend at last, but it came out as a pain-filled grimace. Shego was staring at her like she was seeing a ghost.

"Kim!" Rebecca shouted, and dashed over to her girlfriend. She'd nearly made it, too, when a burst of green plasma slammed into her, throwing her back several feet.

"No way in _hell_ am I going to let some poor imitation of _me_ keep me from getting my revenge," Shego growled. Rebecca picked herself up off the floor and ignited her own hands. Seeing her Kimmie like that, looking like she was barely alive, ignited a fury within the ivory-toned girl that was far, far worse than whatever anger she'd felt towards Electronique. Her eyes flared brightly, almost shimmering like heat waves off of a baking highway.

"You hurt my Bubbles," she said softly, staring at the person whose DNA was used to make her. "I don't care if your my sister or not. I don't care that you're mom's first-born daughter. I'm going to make you regret hurting my girlfriend."

 **E/N:** And that's chapter 11. Meant to have this up Friday, but things happened. First time I've ever really written a chapter that focused almost completely on just one scene. I know this is a short chapter, but I wanted it to focus primarily on the fight between Rebecca and Ellen (hence the title addition of Fire and Lightning). And in the next chapter you'll get to see the fight between Rebecca and Samantha; plus you'll get to see Kim's fight against Shego while their girlfriends were battling it out. Looks like the next chapter, "Showdown 2 – Red and Green," is gonna be a blast.

Pun intended.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out. The computer I use is having start up issues, so I'm only able to write when it's in Safe Mode.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 12 – Showdown 1 – Red and Green**

 _South Pacific_

About fifty feet off the ground, the two teens released themselves from their harnesses and angled into the trees, using the branches to drop their speed and get them safely to the ground. The two had landed in battle-ready positions, but found nothing waiting for them. Something that actually set them a bit more on edge. From what Kim had been able to learn about Electronique – courtesy of Wade – the electrical-powered villain was capable of turning anything into a weapon (or making something that was already a weapon into an even better weapon). And of course both girls knew how dangerous Shego was; Kim from experience and Rebecca from the fact that she'd been created (officially) to take on Shego.

"I . . . didn't mean for us to get into trouble," Rebecca said as the two began moving, looking for a way into the lair.

"What?" Kim asked, not expecting a comment like that.

"With your mom," the shimmer-haired girl added, letting Kim know what she was referring to.

"Oh, um, that," the redhead said, a little embarrased. "It's no big."

"But still . . ." her girlfriend said, her voice trailing off.

"Bombshell, it's so not the drama," Kim replied, smiling. She turned and pulled her girlfriend into a hug. "Even if I'd known she'd react like that, I still would've done it. I love you, after all." She stepped back, breaking off the hug. "But we need to focus on this mission right now, okay?"

"Sure thing, Bubbles," Rebecca said, returning her girlfriend's smile.

And right then, a trap door opened underneath them. With dual yelps, they fell into a well-greased chute that had them slipping fast. Rebecca lit up her hands in order to provide some light for them.

"Why the _fuck_ does every single villainous lair have random trap doors?!" Rebecca snarled, holding her hands up.

"What makes you think _I_ know?" Kim retorted, though she was wondering the same thing.

" _You_ did this for years before _I_ came along," was the smart-assed reply.

"And I _still_ haven't figured it out!" the redhead responded. They didn't have any more time for witty retorts because, right then, a dividing wall slammed down from the ceiling of the extra-wide chute, cutting the two girls off from each other. They'd both yanked their hands to themselves to avoid having them cut off. It no longer mattered to either girl that they were in a villain's lair that had who knew what traps and weapons in it; all that mattered was that they were apart.

 _Kim_

"Rebecca!" Kim cried, but it came too late; they were now seperated and heading to neither knew where. _Fuck!_ the redhead screamed in her mind as she went sliding down the chute. She was surprised that there weren't any death traps or defenses in the chute, though there were a lot twists, turns, curves, and even a loop. _What is this?_ she asked herself. _An evil lair or funpark ride?_ Right after she'd thought that, she shot of the chute and through a large open space. Her trajectory, though, had her heading right towards a laser grid in the floor. Snatching her grappling hook from her waist, she raised up the hair dryer-looking device and shot it up at the ceiling. The hooks bit into the ceiling and arced her trajectory up towards a ledge or tunnel mouth on the opposite wall. She retracted the line when she reached the height of her arc, but at that exact instant a hatch opened in the ceiling and there was a massive sound that Kim thought sound like a vaccuum cleaner. "Oh, no," she groaned, and felt herself sucked up into the ceiling. She went through another funpark-like slide through a chute before shooting up through a floor and landing hard on her shoulder. The pain flared through her and made her cry out. She went into a roll to help bleed off her momentum, but the damage had already been done. She knew her battle suit would be able to provide some pain relief, so she picked herself up.

"It's about time you got here, Princess," a familiar voice said.

"Shego," Kim growled turning to face the villainess. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Oooh, so little miss perfect _does_ have a mouth on her," Shego taunted, a smirk on her face. "What will the world say when they find _that_ out?" She chuckled at that. "As for what I'm doing, it's usually called revenge."

"Revenge?" the redhead echoed, confused.

"Doy! You should know by now, Pumpkin, that I'm not into world domination."

"Why would you want revenge on _me_?"

"You're not that stupid, Princess. But I'll spell it out for you," Shego replied. "You kicked my ass _that_ night! You could've killed me when you knocked me into that tower, and it was only by the sheerest luck, along with my meteor-enhanced body, that I was able to survive! But I'm not going to kill you; just kick your ass so hard you won't ever forget it."

"You're insane, Shego," Kim said in disbelief.

"Am I, Princess?" the pale-skinned woman responded. "Look at the facts, kid. You and that cheap copy of me have been running yourselves ragged going after your very own rogue's gallery. And while that's been going on, Electronique and I have been getting everything we needed to set this up." She shook her head, chuckling again. "We had this whole place rigged up with all sorts of death traps and shit, yet you two idiots stop right over a trap door." She followed that with a snort. "What a waste of effort."

"You did all of this . . . just to get revenge on me?"

"You almost killed me, Possible!" the raven-haired woman snarled. "The only reason you even had a _chance_ of beating me was because of that suit! You're nothing! Just a girl with some skills who gets lucky!"

"Now I _know_ you're insane," Kim said. "Look, Shego, does it really matter? I won't deny that you're an awesome fighter, and you're pretty brilliant to have thought of using my enemies to keep me busy and all, but is all of this really necessary? I don't care which of us is actually better."

"But I do," Shego growled. She held up one of her hands, which Kim now saw held a remote. Shego pushed a button and suddenly the floor panel the teen hero was standing on flared blue. She only had a second to wonder about it before a massive surge of electricity shot through her, wrenching out a pain-filled scream that seemed to echo throughout the lair. The villainess moved her thumb off the button and the panel deactivated. The redheaded teen dropped to her knees, smoke drifting off of her battle suit.

"What the hell was that?" she groaned, trying to focus past the white/blue spots dancing in front of her eyes.

"An electrical oversurged keyed to the specific functions of your 'battle' suit," the older woman said, tossing away the remote. "It didn't shut down your suit this time; Electronique set it up to totally fry it. Now we can have a fair fight."

"Fair?" Kim coughed, gettign back to her feet. "How can it be fair when you have your plasma powers still?"

"I didn't say it was fair for _you_ , Princess," Shego retorted, lighting up her hands. Kim shook her head, trying to clear away the last of the spots, and settled herself into a fighting stance. The pale-skinned villainess didn't waste any time and launched herself at her redheaded rival. Kim ducked underneath the other woman's plasma-wreathed slash and fired off a punch at her side, only to have to abort the attack to avoid taking a knee strike to her own side. The spin she made to avoid it allowed her to move into a spin kick that Shego ducked under, slipping into a floor-spin kick that knocked the redhead on her ass. Kim rolled backwards when she hit the floor and pushed off with her back to land on her feet. She sprang forward with a driving punch, her fist grazing Shego's face; the triple-punch Shego delivered to Kim's abdomen knocked the teen several feet away while elicting a cry of pain from her that turned into a grunt when she hit the floor. She rolled a couple of times and flipped to her feet, wincing a bit from the pain in her side.

"What's the matter, Pumpkin?" Shego taunted. "Not doing so well without that fancy suit of yours?"

"I haven't needed it in the past to kick your ass, Shego," the redhead growled, "and I don't need it now."

"Like hell you've kicked my ass, Princess. My plasma is more than hot enough to make steel run like melted butter, so what makes you think that I was going all out against you?" She smirked, and then chuckled darkly. "And to tell you the truth, I've been holding back against you. My mom taught me quite a few styles before she and my dad divorced, and I've learned many more on my own."

"At least your mom isn't a bitch like you are, Shego," Kim growled as they exchanged another series of punches and kicks; she came out the worse for wear from it, though.

"My mom's dead!" the pale-skinned woman snarled. "She died a year after the divorce! So shut the fuck up, you little red-headed bitch!" She then picked up her assault, throwing in moves and stances from a myriad of styles at a speed that Kim was having a hard time matching on her own. Especially since she was already injured and a little worn out. _This isn't good_ , the teen thought, using a cheerleading move to get some space between the two of them. _At this rate, I won't be able to hold out much longer. Gotta finish it now._ Ducking under a slash, she pivoted around like she was going to throw a punch, then intensified her spin and shifted into a hook kick that caught Shego upside her head. The raven-haired woman staggered sideways a bit, and Kim followed up on her current advantage by doing a spin kick that the villainess ducked under, only to be caught on the chin with a mid-level punch. The redhead slipped into a reverse kick, only to have it caught.

"I'm not that easy, Pumpkin," the other woman growled, then punched a fist into the back of Kim's knee. The girl cried out at the pain and attempted to kick her way out of the hold, only to take another punch to that same area. She dropped to her hands in an attempt to kick Shego with her other leg, only for it to be caught, too. She looked at her opponent and smirked. The pale-skinned woman had a moment to look confused before Kim bent herself at the waist and grabbed Shego's ankles. She jerked herself forward and pulled her legs down, yanking the villainess off her feet and sending her flying across the room. She did a backflip to her feet, only to cry out in pain and fall to one knee; she'd forgotten about the injury to her leg. Shego had recovered from the throw and was now upon the teen hero; the raven-haired woman didn't waste any time in resuming her attack. Kim managed a good and somewhat mobile defense, but her injured leg and bruised side – combined with the cuts and slashes she was getting – began slowing her down. A sloppy punch left her open for a plasma-enhanced punch to her stomach, which was followed by a downward knife strike to her left shoulder. A cry of pain erupted from her mouth as her collarbone was broken and her left arm dislocated. She dropped to one knee, her good arm going to her injured shoulder, and took a snap-kick to the head that knocked her several feet to the side. Kim almost blacked out from the pain when she landed on her shoulder. She tried to get back to her feet, tried to get back into the fight, but Shego didn't give her much of a chance. The teen fired off a punch that was fairly exceptional in her current condition, but was ineffectual against someone like Shego. The thief easily avoided the punch and hit Kim with a backhand that caused her to stumble back a few steps – putting her into perfect kick range. Shego slammed a kick into the girl's side, and Kim was fairly sure she felt a rib break; she wasn't sure, since she was already in a lot of pain. She attempted another punch – only to have her arm caught.

"You're finished, Princess," Shego said, before slamming Kim's bicep with a full-force knifehand while at the same time snap-firing her leg up into Kim's forearm. An impossible shriek of pain escaped Kim's mouth as she felt her right arm get broken in two different places at the same time. Kim started to drop to the floor, but didn't quite make it as Shego kicked her hard in the chest, sending the redhead arcing backwards to land and tumble across the floor. The pain she was feeling caused the teen to black out for a moment or two, but as soon as she came to she began trying to get up. A muffled scream of "Kimmie!" reached her ears, but before she could do more than wonder about it a section of the wall behind her blasted open with a flash of red light. Rebecca came through the hole in the wall and caught sight of Kim. The redhead was trying to pick herself up, but she was having a nearly impossible time doing it, though, as it was difficult to move with tow badly injured arms, plus numerous cuts and slashes all over her body. Samantha Gibbs – aka Shego – was stalking towards the redheaded teen hero, obviously with the intent to do far more damage to the girl. But both stopped and looked at the disturbance and saw Rebecca. Kim tried to smile at seeing her girlfriend at last, but it came out as a pain-filled grimace. Shego was staring at her like she was seeing a ghost.

"Kim!" Rebecca shouted, and dashed over to her girlfriend. She'd nearly made it, too, when a burst of green plasma slammed into her, throwing her back several feet.

"No way in _hell_ am I going to let some poor imitation of _me_ keep me from getting my revenge," Shego growled. Rebecca picked herself up off the floor and ignited her own hands. Seeing her Kimmie like that, looking like she was barely alive, ignited a fury within the ivory-toned girl that was far, far worse than whatever anger she'd felt towards Electronique. Her eyes flared brightly, almost shimmering like heat waves off of a baking highway.

"You hurt my Bubbles," she said softly, staring at the person whose DNA was used to make her. "I don't care if your my sister or not. I don't care that you're mom's first-born daughter. I'm going to make you regret hurting my girlfriend."

"Bring it on, you wannabe piece of shit," Shego growled, charging at her clone. Rebecca ducked under the pale-skinned woman's slash, and planted a fist in her gut. "That barely hurt," the villainess chuckled.

"I'm not done," the pale girl retorted, right before she fired off a plasma blast. The attack knocked Shego a few yards, though she arrested her momentum by digging her clawed gloves into the steel floor. Rebecca snapped her fists behind her and blasted the floor with twin plasma strikes, launching herself forward and into the air. Raising her hands up in a gunslinger pose, she began firing off rapid bursts of low-power plasma, forcing the raven-haired villainess to flip, spin, and jump out of the way. Shego fired of a plasma blast that should've hit the descending girl, but the shimmer-haired teen fired off a dual plasma burst that sent her shooting sideways. Rebecca flipped and tumbled through the air and landed on her feet, skidding sideways; she couldn't resist doing a super hero pose she'd seen in a movie during one of her and Kim's dates. In spite of her lighthearted action right then, the girl's anger was building up to dangerous levels. Both Shego and Rebecca saw that their plasma was at least evenly matched – at least that's what Shego was grudgingly coming to believe – and came at each other with martial arts moves. And the pale-skinned villainess found herself actually outmatched. Rebecca mixed her Monkey Kung Fu styles with Israeli Krav Maga moves, and spiced those up Aikido techniques. Only one person Samantha knew of was capable of blending styles together like that.

"How the fuck can you do this?!" she raged at her doppleganger.

"Mom taught me," the pale girl snarled.

"Bullshit! You're just a fucking clone, and my mom's dead!"

"Don't you fucking say that!" Rebecca shouted, sending a plasma-shrouded kick into the side of Samantha's head, knocking the older woman to the side and sending her skidding along the floor for several feet. "I'm not just a clone!" she continued on, dashing at the fallen woman and going into a skid. As the pale-skinned thief got to her knees Rebecca slammed another plasma-shrouded kick into her head. "And mom's not dead!"

"If she isn't dead, why didn't she ever come see me?!" Samantha shouted, leaping to her feet and charging at the red plasma girl. She began throwing punches and kicks that started to lose the finesse and precision she'd had before. "I'm her _daughter_! Didn't she love me at all?!" That was the last thing she managed to get out before Rebecca detonated another plasma burst against her stomach, which was then followed by an unbelievably fast series of plasma-shrouded kicks. Rebecca then banged her fists together as she fired off plasma blasts, sending a powerful and compressed burst of plasma energy into the taller woman, knocking her clear across the room and skidding into the opposite wall.

"Of course she loves you!" the shimmer-haired girl shouted. "Your shit-ass excuse for a father ruined her reputation and life completely! So bad, in fact, that she was forbidden to ever see any of you ever again! It almost killed her!" She began stalking towards her sister, looking more like a hunting cat on the prowl than a martial artist approaching her opponent. Samantha coughed hard as she got to her hands and knees, and was surprised to see blood on the floor. _She hits . . . too hard_ , the raven-haired woman thought with a groan. _And . . . and she's much better trained than I am._ She managed to get to her feet, though she was swaying a bit from pain and dizziness. _I think I might have a concussion now._ When Rebecca got close enough to her, Samantha tried to hit her with a fast and powerful punch combo, but the pale girl avoided the strikes and slammed a fist into her opponent's side. The raven-haired woman cried out in pain as she felt a couple of her ribs snap. She would've dropped to her knees, but Rebecca's glowing hand around her throat held her up. There wasn't any thermal or kinetic energy to the glow; yet.

"I should hurt you like you hurt my girlfriend," the teen growled. "Make you suffer the same way." Then she released her hand and actually _caught_ Samantha as she collapsed. "But I'm not like that," Rebecca went on, easing the older woman to the ground. "I reacted out of rage and anger, even if it didn't overrule my senses. You're my sister, as much as you want to make me out to just be a simple copy of you. I'm not. I didn't live the same life you did, and my plasma's different from yours. I am as much my own person as you are."

"What did you . . . do to Ellen?" Samantha asked.

"Beat the crap out of her, though she isn't as injured as you are and is still very much alive – if unconscious," was the reply she got.

"Mom's really alive?" the pale-skinned woman asked, sounding heartbroken and hopeful at the same time.

"And worried about you," the other girl answered. "I was another daughter for her, but never was I a replacement for you. Global Justice wanted me to be a way to counter you; at least that's what Mom told them so she could have me."

"You mean you were-"

"Actually born, yes," Rebecca finished. "Mom used your DNA – and only your DNA – to make me; then I was implanted in her womb and carried just like a natural-born baby would be."

"Mom . . ." Samantha said, feeling tears fall from her eyes.

"You and _your_ girlfriend will probably go to a Global Justice prison or something, but I'm sure Mother can get Mom visiting rights." Rebecca gently laid her sister down on the floor. "I've gotta get to my girlfriend and call for medevac."

"R-Rebecca?" the pale-skinned woman asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" her sister said without turning around or stopping.

"Why would Mom want to see me? After everything I've done?"

"The same reason any parent wants to see a long-estranged child for," was the reply. "Love."

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Ann was at work when she got notified that her daughter was injured and being brought to the Middleton airport for transfer to a medevac helicopter to take her to Middleton General. The two other patients would be brought be escorted ambulance to Middleton General, but Ann only took that bit of information as an anecdote; her main concern was her daughter. Though a neurosurgeon, no one on the staff would even think of telling Ann Possible that she couldn't assist with her daughter's care. When Kim was offloaded from the helicopter, her mom let out a choked gasp when she saw her daughter's injuries. Rebecca also stepped out of the helicopter, and Ann hurried over to her as the two followed the medical team rushing Kim to the ER. The pale girl explained everything to Ann, from the start of the mission to the two seperate fights and ending with Rebecca's call to her parents for help. In fact, Isabella Shaw arrived shortly after the medical helicopter did, and immediately offered her assistance. She may have been a geneticist and a biologist, but she had also studied medicine on the side. The initial diagnosis on Kim Possible was that she was suffering from broken bones, massive bruising, a dislocated shoulder, a variety of scratches and slashed, but fortunately no internal injuries. Surgery would only be needed to repair the broken collarbone. Ann tried to get her daughter's girlfriend treated for her own injuries, but Rebecca refused to allow any kind of treatment to happen until she was certain Kim would be alright. Many of the burns and cuts she'd sustained were already healing thanks to her powers, but she was only vaguely aware of that; she was too wrapped up in her concern for Kim to worry about herself.

She was sitting in the waiting area outside the operating theater where Kim was at when her mom found her.

"Rebecca?" Isabella said, catching her daughter's attention.

"Mom!" the pale girl cried out, throwing herself into her mom's arms and crying. The raven-haired woman hugged her daughter tightly and just held her, letting her cry.

"Everything's going to be alright, Firefly," she told her daughter, rubbing her back.

"She was so hurt," Rebecca sobbed. "I was so angry and afraid, and I hurt . . . I hurt my sister!"

"Your sister?" her mom echoed in confusion. Then realization dawned on her. "You mean you two ran into Samantha?"

Rebecca nodded and replied, "She was behind the whole thing, Mom. The villain attacks, those random thefts. Her and Electronique. All just hurt my Kimmie!"

"Shhh," Isabella said, continuing to rub her daughter's back. "It's alright, Rebecca, it's alright."

"She didn't even know you were alive, Mom," she told her. "She thought you were dead."

That put an ice-cold clamp around Isabella's heart, as did Rebecca's next words: "She was afraid you might not have loved her, and that's why you never came back if you 'really were' still alive." That clamp squeezed tighter, but the older woman put aside her own pain to help her daughter.

"It doesn't matter right now," Isabella replied. "We'll let your mother handle Samantha and Electronique. Right now, let's get you tended to and get something in your stomach."

"But I'm fine and not hungry," Rebecca said, right before her stomach growled loudly.

"Want to rethink that statement?" her mom teased, poking her daughter in the stomach.

"Mooom," the shimmer-haired girl groaned.

"Let's go to the cafeteria," Isabella suggested. "Ann says that the hospital food here is actually pretty good."

"But . . ." Rebecca said, her voice trailing off as she was led away.

"There isn't anything to do but wait right now, Firefly. So let's get you tended to before your girlfriend wakes and learns that you did nothing about yourself."

Betty Director stood in the room that Shego was in, staring at the pale-skinned woman in the room's bed. Electronique was in a different room on the other side of the hospital, but had Will Du keeping an eye on her. The gray-skinned villainess was currently sedated to allow her body to better recover from what had happened to it; hospital procedure as well as a recommendation from Global Justice.

"You really did it this time, Samantha," Betty said.

"Bite me, One-Eye," the other woman replied, not opening her eyes.

"I'm afraid that I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to help you," she responded. _That_ made Samantah open her eyes and look at the aging brunette in surprise.

"What?" she asked dumbly.

"As hard as you may find this to believe, I do want to help you, Samantha," Betty told her. "And not just because I'm married to you mom."

"What the hell-fuck?!" Samantha exclaimed, jerking upright in bed only to fall back down with a pained groan.

"Yeah, I've been married to Isabella for the past twelve years or so," the one-eyed woman said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "Let me explain things. Your bastard of a father ruined the life that your mom had been trying to build with all of you for his own selfish reasons. Even got a restraining order as part of the divorce that would've had your mom thrown in jail for no less than ten years if she even tried to visit any of you."

"What the hell," the pale-skinned woman breathed.

"She was drinking in a bar in Upperton when I crossed paths with her again," Betty went on. "We actually used to be roommates and lovers back in college before she met your father. And . . . rekindling our old relationship turned out to be just what she needed to help turn her life back around. I want to help you, Samantha, because I know that you have the capability for good. Even if you've turned your back on being a hero. And with your family, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."

"Can . . . c-can I see my mom?" Samantha asked nervously.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now," Betty admitted. "But . . . maybe later, I can arrange at least one visit." The head of Global Justice smiled a bit. "We can't exactly prove you were behind the rash of villain attacks lately, and the thefts you committed during those times are minor at best. The only thing we can get you for, besides escaping from jail and breaking Electronique out, is hospitalizing Kim Possible."

"That's enough to get me back in The Crate," the green-skinned woman mumbled.

"I can arrange for a more 'conventional' Global Justice maximum security prison for you," Betty told her. "Easier to escape from than The Crate, if you were inclined."

"No," Samantha said, closing her eyes again. "I'm done."

"I have to go take care of other business, Samantha," the one-eyed woman said, getting back out of the chair and heading to the door, "but maybe we can come to some sort of deal to reduce your sentence. Later, of course."

"Yeah," the villainess agreed. As Betty was about to head out the door, Samantha spoke up again. "Hey, Doctor Director?"

"Yes?" the woman asked, surprised at actually being called that by the other woman.

"If it's true that you and my mom are married . . . can I call you Mother, too? Like my sister does?" That was asked with such a hesitant voice, full of vulnerability, that Betty smiled.

"We'll talk about that with your mom," Betty told her, then left the room.

 **E/N:** And there it is. The end of chapter 12. Once again, I am sorry that Red Flame wasn't updated sooner; I had computer issues all last week and put this project on hold until now.

So, Kim get's her ass kicked and Rebecca saves the day. Samantha finally confirms her mom really _is_ alive, but now she faces imprisonment again.

How long will it take Kim to recover? Will Isabella visit her oldest daughter? Find out this and more in the next chapter of Red Flame, "A Period of Semi-Normality."


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Thanks everyone for being so patient with the delay in updating the last chapter. While I won't be updating daily anymore, I will be trying to update as often as I can.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 13 – A Period of Semi-Normality**

 _ **Last time in Red Flame . . .**_

 _Betty Director stood in the room that Shego was in, staring at the pale-skinned woman in the room's bed. Electronique was in a different room on the other side of the hospital, but had Will Du keeping an eye on her. The gray-skinned villainess was currently sedated to allow her body to better recover from what had happened to it; hospital procedure as well as a recommendation from Global Justice._

 _"You really did it this time, Samantha," Betty said._

 _"Bite me, One-Eye," the other woman replied, not opening her eyes._

 _"I'm afraid that I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to help you," she responded. That made Samantha open her eyes and look at the aging brunette in surprise._

 _"What?" she asked dumbly._

 _"As hard as you may find this to believe, I do want to help you, Samantha," Betty told her. "And not just because I'm married to your mom."_

 _"What the hell-fuck?!" Samantha exclaimed, jerking upright in bed only to fall back down with a pained groan._

 _"Yeah, I've been married to Isabella for the past twelve years or so," the one-eyed woman said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "Let me explain things. Your bastard of a father ruined the life that your mom had been trying to build with all of you for his own selfish reasons. Even got a restraining order as part of the divorce that would've had your mom thrown in jail for no less than ten years if she even tried to visit any of you."_

 _"What the hell," the pale-skinned woman breathed._

 _"She was drinking in a bar in Upperton when I crossed paths with her again," Betty went on. "We actually used to be roommates and lovers back in college before she met your father. And . . . rekindling our old relationship turned out to be just what she needed to help turn her life back around. I want to help you, Samantha, because I know that you have the capability for good. Even if you've turned your back on being a hero. And with your family, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."_

 _"Can . . . c-can I see my mom?" Samantha asked nervously._

 _"I'm not sure that's a good idea right now," Betty admitted. "But . . . maybe later, I can arrange at least one visit." The head of Global Justice smiled a bit. "We can't exactly prove you were behind the rash of villain attacks lately, and the thefts you committed during those times are minor at best. The only thing we can get you for, besides escaping from jail and breaking Electronique out, is hospitalizing Kim Possible."_

 _"That's enough to get me back in The Crate," the green-skinned woman mumbled._

 _"I can arrange for a more 'conventional' Global Justice maximum security prison for you," Betty told her. "Easier to escape from than The Crate, if you were inclined."_

 _"No," Samantha said, closing her eyes again. "I'm done."_

 _"I have to go take care of other business, Samantha," the one-eyed woman said, getting back out of the chair and heading to the door, "but maybe we can come to some sort of deal to reduce your sentence. Later, of course."_

 _"Yeah," the villainess agreed. As Betty was about to head out the door, Samantha spoke up again. "Hey, Doctor Director?"_

 _"Yes?" the woman asked, surprised at actually being called that by the other woman._

 _"If it's true that you and my mom are married . . . can I call you Mother, too? Like my sister does?" That was asked with such a hesitant voice, full of vulnerability, that Betty smiled._

 _"We'll talk about that with your mom," Betty told her, then left the room._

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Samantha Gibbs, also known as the supervillain Shego, lay quietly in her hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. Though she was healing pretty fast, thanks to her powers, she still needed time in a hospital to recuperate; Kim and Samantha's clone/sister had done a lot of damage to her. Right now, though, her mind wasn't on her failed revenge scheme; instead, she was thinking about the conversation she'd had with Betty Director just a few minutes ago. She hadn't lied to the one-eyed leader of Global Justice when she said she was done. After everything that had happened, Samantha found she didn't have any more interest in being a villain. She wouldn't deny the adrenaline rush she got from it all, especially fighting against opponents who were just as good as she was, but it no longer had the same appeal. She wanted to put it down to having had her ass kicked pretty good by a clone of herself, but that would've just been a weak excuse and she was anything but weak. The whole time leading up to earlier that day, all of those days and weeks spent subtly goading other villains to follow their own interestes, had accidentally given the pale-skinned woman plenty of time to think about everything. Especially what had happened between herself and Ellen Dechesne; it had just started out with the gray-skinned villainess helping Samantha in her revenge scheme in exchange for having been busted out of prison, but had gradually evolved into something more. The two of them had rediscovered the feelings they'd had before everything had fallen apart between them. Samantha wanted to blame her older brother Harvey – known as Hego of Team Go – like she had then, but she knew that the blame didn't belong solely with him. Mostly, yes, but not completely. _I guess that's one good thing that's come out of all of this_ , she thought, closing her eyes briefly. _I got another chance with the girl I'm meant to be with._ She knew things wouldn't be that easy, of course, especially since she was looking at time in prison. Probably a lot of time.

"So Mom remarried," she said aloud, but softly. Remembering how much her parents used to fight (verbally, not literally, since her dad had learned to _never_ challenge Isabella Shaw to an actual fight) she felt a smile cross her face. "She deserves to be happy." Though for the life of her Samantha couldn't figure out _how_ her mom had fallen for Betty Director; the woman could be a bitch sometimes. _But then so can I_ , she thought. _I guess it doesn't matter_ who _she fell in love with, as long as they're both happy._ And judging from what Betty had hinted at, she and Isabella been married for more than a few years. Samantha groaned as she shifted position slightly, feeling the aches and bruises she had. _That girl certainly knows how to fight_ , she thought with a chuckle, recalling how well the ivory-toned girl had done against her. That girl's use of her plasma powers during that fight was something Samantha had never considered – she didn't even know if she was capable of doing that. A wave of guilt then washed over the pale-skinned woman when her thoughts turned back to her mom. _I blamed her for never coming back, even after Dad said that she'd 'died.' I never thought that he'd set things up so that she was never_ able _to come back_ , she thought. _I never even thought to try to find out what had happened to her._ She sighed and let herself begin drifting off to sleep. There wasn't anything she could do about it right now, so there wasn't any reason to worry about it now. As she fell asleep, her thoughts drifted to her girlfriend, and she began wondering if she was alright.

Betty was sitting in one of the hospital's cafeterias, her head buried in her hands. There was cup of coffee in front of her – black, of course, since she didn't like the artificial sweeteners the hospital had – but it was forgotten in favor of the thoughts running through her head. She remembered her words to Samantha, and that was what was bothering her now. Everything she'd said had been a mixture of the dedicated leader of Global Justice she'd been for over a decade, and a mother wanting to do her best for her child. She knew that Samantha Gibbs – aka Shego – was, by legality, her stepdaughter since she'd married Isabella Shaw; but that didn't matter to her. Samantha was Isabella's daughter and, in Betty's mind, that made the pale-skinned woman her daughter, too. Shego had been a dangerous criminal, with outstanding warrents in a variety of countries across the globe, and Betty's duty was to put her behind bars for as long as her sentencing was for. However, her instincts were telling her to do whatever she could to keep the super powered woman out of jail. Not once, in her entire career with Global Justice, had Betty ever felt so conflicted. It hadn't been hard to deduce Shego's true identity, even though it had only happened after the woman's villainous career had begun. But she'd willingly deluded herself by denying that Shego and Samantha were the same person. Doing so had been the only way for her to keep doing her job like she had sworn to do. But now things weren't so easy anymore; not that it had been easy in the past. And now Electronique – Ellen Dechenes – was thrown into the mix. She had been able to tell that there was something between the two villainesses, though she wasn't sure if it was a new development or something older considering that Electronique had been brought down by Team Go – Shego specifically – about seven or so years ago.

"What the hell do I do?" Betty groaned into her hands.

"About what, Cyclops?" Betty's head snapped up to see her wife sitting across from her.

"Kitten," she said, a bit embarrassed. "I . . . I didn't hear you coming over."

"Probably because you were so wrapped up in your thoughts, love," the raven-haired woman replied, reaching out and grasping her wife's hand. "Now what's bothering you?"

"I had a talk with Samantha," she told her.

"How is she?"

"Doing better; her meteor-boosted metabolism let's her heal faster than normal," Betty said.

"Just like Rebecca, of course," Isabella agreed.

"She wants to see you, talk with you," the brunette said.

"Why? Doesn't she hate me?"

"That never came up, to be honest. She seemed . . . shocked that your ex-husband was the reason you never came back or at least visited," Betty answered. "And . . . she actually asked me if she could call me 'Mother' since you and I are married. She still sees herself as _your_ daughter."

"She really asked that, did she?"

"Absolutely."

"So what's the issue, then, Betts?" Isabella asked.

"I'm the leader of Global Justice," Betty replied. "My job – my duty – is to put criminals behind bars, to make the world safe. Shego is a highly dangerous woman that is wanted in several countries around the world. But I'm also a mother, thanks to you and Rebecca. I see Samantha as my daughter, even though technically I'm her stepmother. I want to do everything I can to help her, but-"

"-But that desire is coming into conflict with your duty," her wife finished, "and it's making you confused and conflicted."

"To put it mildly," the one-eyed brunette agreed.

"Be both, then," Isabella said simply.

"What?"

"Be both the leader of Global Justice _and_ a mother."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Has Samantha actually done anything to truly warrant a jail sentence?" Isabella asked.

"She's stolen technological devices, rare works of art, top secret-" Betty was interrupted.

"But while such actions are illegal, isn't there a way _around_ imprisonment? You _are_ the head of the internationally-recognized Global Justice agency, authorized by the United Nations to operate as a world-wide law enforcement agency," the raven-haired woman reminded her. "I do believe I recall that the UN Security Council gave you discretionary powers to be used as you see fit."

Betty's brow furrowed as she thought over her situation and what her wife was telling her. Then her one good eye widened as realization stole over her.

"Bingo," Isabella said with a somewhat devious smile.

"Have I recently told you how much I love you?" Betty said, leaning forward to kiss her wife on the lips.

 _Five hours later_

Ann walked into her daughter's room at Middleton General to check on her and Rebecca. Rebecca's injuries – such as they were – had fully healed about three or so hours ago, and she'd moved herself to Kim's room; she ignored and even threatened any hospital staff that tried to convince her to stay in her own room. She was worn out, exhausted, and definitely feeling drained, but nothing – not even being strapped into the hospital bed – would've kept her from her girlfriend. When Ann walked into the room she'd opened her mouth to ask something, only to be stopped by her daughter placing a finger against her lips. Ann closed her mouth and realized why Kim had done that; Rebecca had fallen asleep in the chair next to Kim's bed, with her head resting halfway on the redhead's lap. It was obvious the ivory-toned girl was sleeping hard, as there was a bit of drool coming from the corner of her mouth.

"She deserves it," Ann whispered to her daughter as she up on the bed's other side.

"She saved me, Mom," Kim said, smiling down at her girlfriend. "I've never seen anyone fight as hard as she did, and she'd already been hurt by the time she got to me."

"She really loves you, you know," her mom replied, smiling down at the two teens. "And . . . I'm sorry, Kimmie."

"For what, Mom?" the redhead asked, looking up at her mom with a confused expression.

"For trying to keep the two of you apart after I'd walked in on you two."

"So not the drama, Mom," the teen hero replied with a smile. "We didn't really expect it to happen, but we didn't try to stop it, either. It just . . . felt like it was the right time."

"I'm sure it did, Bubble-butt," Ann said with a smile.

"Ugh, Mom!" Kim protested quietly. "Please stop calling me that."

"She truly is an exceptional young lady," the older redhead said.

"Yeah," her daughter agreed, gently stroking her girlfriend's hair. "So, um, Mom? Do you know when I'll be getting out of here?"

"Probably not for a few more days, Kim," her mom replied. "You were hurt pretty bad."

"It wasn't _that_ bad."

"You'll probably have to be here for at least three more days, just to be on the safe side."

"Can . . . can Rebecca stay?" Kim asked hopefully.

"Kimmie, I don't think a black hole could pull her away from you," Ann said with a smile. "Though you might have to force her to leave to at least get some food." The two Possible women chuckled. "I know things didn't work out with you and Ron, but perhaps that was for the best."

"He's been my best friend since pre-K," the teen said sadly. "I thought he'd've understood. That he would've at least wanted me to be happy, even if our friendship changed because of it."

"Sometimes people don't always react in the best way to shocking news," her mom told her, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Look at how I reacted when I discovered that you and Rebecca had become intimate. I reacted rather horribly to that, though the two of you managed to help me start thinking about everything. Ronald probably just needs time to come to terms with it all; he's been crushing on you for a long time, you know." Kim was about to say something, but her mom wasn't done speaking. "What I'm saying, Kim, is that you and Rebecca have something special. I don't imagine either of you will have an easy time of this, and I'm sure that there will be tests of your love in the future, but you two seem meant to be. So . . . don't lose her, Kim. I don't think you'll find anyone like her ever again."

"I won't, Mom," Kim said softly. Ann leaned down and the two of them hugged.

 _Same time_

"Are you awake, Samantha?" Betty Director asked as she walked into the pale-skinned woman's room. Its occupant turned to look at her.

"Is it time for me to be going to a nice, all-expenses-paid jail cell?" Samantha asked in sad, somewhat monotonous voice. A small smile graced the one-eyed woman's face, making the green-skinned villainess suspicious.

"You sure you want to do that?" she asked, her smile getting just a bit bigger.

"What's going on, One-Eye?"

"So we're back to that? I thought you wanted to call me Mother."

"W-Wh-What?" Samantha sputtered, making the older woman chuckle.

"Mind if I sit?" Betty asked, motioning to the chair in the room. Samantha nodded, and the brunette pulled the chair over to the bed. For a moment, nothing was said. Then the leader of Global Justice took a deep breath. "I've been doing a lot of thinking since we last spoke, Samantha," she said. "And I've been making a lot of calls, and doing a lot of yelling. I called in quite a few favors, as well as performing some blackmailing."

"Hold on just a fucking minute," the pale-skinned woman interrupted. " _You_ have been _blackmailing_ people?"

"Well, they're politicians, so I'm not sure they'd qualify as 'people,'" Betty quipped, actually drawing a laugh from the villainess. "But, yes, I have."

"But why? And why tell me this?"

"Well, I'm doing it all for you, Samantha," the brunette replied; the raven-haired woman's jaw dropped. Betty decided to answer the obvious question that would be asked. "I decided to make a stand on principle rather than duty. I honestly, truly, don't want you to have to be imprisoned. I know that we don't have much of a relationship beyond me being a 'cop' of sorts and you being the criminal I'm always trying to keep caught, but it can't be more than that if you're in prison. Isabella wants a chance to be back in your life, even though you're no longer the ten-year-old girl she was forced to leave. And as for me, well, it's . . . it's a bit hard to admit, but I would love to be a part of your life, too. As a parent, that is; or at the very least, someone you can turn to for whatever you may need."

"Betty . . ." Samantha said softly, her voice trailing off. Tears were starting to gather in her eyes.

"I used every ounce of leverage and influence I have to keep you from having to go to prison," the brunette went on. "You _and_ Miss Dechenes. From what Rebecca told me, Ellen's only real goal was to help you. She got the impression that the two of you have a relationship similar to what she and Kim have."

"We did," the pale-skinned woman admitted. "And we do. So . . . what's going to happen to us?"

"Well, Ellen will have to go to work for Global Justice in our research and development division, specifically the tech department, so she'll be working under your mom's supervision; Isabella will also be her monitor and case officer."

"And me?"

"In exchange for all of your knowledge regarding the supervillain community specifically, and the criminal world in general, I'm granting you amnesty for all past crimes," Betty said, smiling pretty big now. Samantha's jaw had dropped once again, even more than before. "I know this probably doesn't square everything between us, but-" The brunette didn't get to finish whatever she was saying because she was interrupted by Samantha throwing her arms around her and hugging her tightly. Betty didn't even have to think about things; she returned the hug, and felt the younger woman try to hold back her sobs.

"Just let it go, Samantha," she whispered. "It doesn't make you weak to cry; truly, only the strong can let themselves cry around others." That seemed to release something inside of the pale-skinned woman, because she just broke down, letting out all of the pent up emotions she'd been feeling. Betty didn't bother to hold back her own tears, though hers were of joy.

"Thank you," Samantha managed to whisper between sobs. "Mother."

 _Middleton, Middleton Park (Two days later)_

Samantha was waiting alone in Middleton park; sitting on one of the benches scattered along the walking/jogging path, to be specific. She was also nervous – very nervous – because today was the day she'd see her mom again, after over ten years without her. She'd wanted Ellen with her, but her girlfriend (yes, she could admit that now) was still in Middleton General under guard; she'd been hit by a beam from her own weapon, and her body was having some trouble adapting to no longer having electricity coursing through it. Samantha was surprised that she was allowed to be alone, even though she did have a GJ-issue tracking bracelet on her wrist.

"Samantha?" asked a somewhat familiar voice in confusion. The woman in question looked over at the speaker, and found herself staring at an almost mirror image of herself. Her mind caught up with her eyes, and she realized she was looking at Rebecca Shaw, her little sister. Rebecca's confusion was understandable, since Samantha was wearing a simple knee-length skirt (in black, of course), a pair of black hidden-heel shoes, and a mint-green blouse; the last time the two had seen each other, she'd been wearing her harlequin-like green and black catsuit.

"Rebecca," Samantha said, surprised. "I . . . I, um, didn't expect to see you here."

"Mother told me you'd be meeting mom today," the ivory-toned girl replied. "Could . . . could I sit by you?"

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," she said, scooting over on the bench. The younger girl sat down, and both were silent for a moment. "I didn't think you'd want to see me at all, considering what I did to Kim," Samantha added.

"I'm surprised I'm here, too," Rebecca admitted. "But I talked with our moms, and my girlfriend, and . . . well, I realized that staying angry at you for what you did would only hurt me in the long-run, and would probably ruin any chances of anything good happening between us." She sighed. "And Kim told me why you did what you did. She's the one who actually encouraged me to come here today, once I'd told her everything."

"She's such a goody-goody," Samantha said, smiling.

"Yeah," her sister replied, her face going all dreamy.

"You've got it bad, you know," the pale-skinned woman teased.

"Oh, like you don't?" Rebecca countered, poking the older woman in the side with her elbow.

"I'm sorry," Samantha said, kinda out of the blue. Getting a confused look in response, she explained, "For all the things I said to you during our fight."

"Oh," the younger girl said. "No big."

"You've been hanging around Kimmie too long."

"What can I say? I'm in love with her," Rebecca replied. Her smile faded.

"What is it?" Samantha asked.

"I want to be your little sister, but I'm not sure how you feel about that."

"I've always wanted one," the raven-haired woman replied. "I got saddled with an older brother who's a major asshole, and three younger brothers. The two youngest are twins, and they actually aren't too bad; the other one is almost completely self-absorbed."

"I see you're already here, Rebecca," they heard from behind them. The two girls stood and turned around to see Betty walking towards them, with Isabella nervously walking at her side.

"Mom," Samantha whispered, staring at Isabella.

"Firefly?" Isabella replied, staring back at her daughter. Though she'd been called that, too, Rebecca knew that her mom was talking to her older sister right now. For a moment or two, no one moved. Then the two raven-haired women moved towards each other, the distance closing quickly until they were embracing each other. Tears were falling down their faces as they hugged the other tightly, as though they were afraid of losing each other again. Rebecca was grinning hugely at seeing her mom looking so happy.

"Oh, my God," Isabella said, pulling back a bit to look at her daughter's face. "You look so beautiful now."

"I'm kinda green now, Mom," Samantha replied, her smile huge.

"I don't care, Firefly," the older woman said, shaking her head. "It's just so wonderful to have you back. And I am so, so, so sorry."

"Sorry for what, Mom?"

"For never trying to get back to you after the divorce," Isabella answered. "For not even trying to find a way to see you again."

"Betty – I mean, Mother – explained everything to me," Samantha said. "I'm still hurt and angry about you not being around, but that doesn't really matter to me because now you're back."

"I can understand how you must feel, and I don't know if I can ever make up for the pain that you went through, but I'll-"

"Wait, Mom," the pale-skinned woman interrupted. She looked back at Rebecca, who smiled and gave her two thumbs-up, then looked again at her mom. "You don't have to do anything. What happened before can't be changed, in any way, so why dwell on it? I've learned over the past few days that while it's okay to be angry and hurt, it's more harmful to hold onto those emotions than it is to just let them go. So, um, how about we just . . . start over?"

"That would be wonderful, Samantha," Isabella agreed, hugging her oldest daughter again.

Later, after spending an hour walking through the park and catching up those missing years a bit, Betty suggested they all go have lunch somewhere and keep catching up. Immediately after she'd said that, the other three women simultaneously requested Thai food. Rebecca shouted "Jinx! I get _two_ sodas now!" before anyone could say anything in response. Chuckling, Samantha said she'd happily buy her new little sister those two sodas (the money Samantha had made while working as a villain wasn't actually illegal funds, since she'd been legitimately employed – even if it was by a super villain). So Betty took all of them to a Thai restuarant in Upperton; it just happened to be the same Thai restuarant that Samantha – back when she was Shego – spent quite a bit of her downtime at. Though some of the conversation still centered around what Samantha and Isabella had been doing since they'd last seen each other, it came around to what everyone was hoping to do in the future. Isabella and Betty both said they'd continue to work for Global Justice, though the one-eyed woman expressed an interest in one day retiring and possibly running some sort of tourist-based business somewhere. Samantha said that she'd like to actually make use of teaching degrees one day, after she'd gotten through being debriefed by GJ's intelligence division. Rebecca piped up by saying that right now she just wanted to be a world-class martial artist and one day marry her girlfriend. That got her some friendly teasing from her big sister, making her blush a light pink and punch the older girl in the arm. Though there was still some tension in the air, all knew that it would go away with time and effort.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Two days after Rebecca's family day, Kim Possible was finally discharged from the hospital. Rebecca insisted on pushing the wheelchair out to the Possible family's car; her efforts to make sure that she was the one drew some giggles from her girlfriend. Kim had to wear a special sling that held up her cast-encased broken arm while also keeping pressure off of her broken collarbone (the dislocated shoulder had been popped back in by the emergency medical personnel during the supersonic dash from the South Pacific to Middleton's airport). The redhead's body was still recovering from the injuries she'd sustained, but they were more than well enough for her to go back home. And Rebecca proved just how closely the two girls had become; while she didn't hover around and smother Kim, she somehow seemed to know just when Kim needed something – whether it was help to the bathroom, or to be cuddled, or whenever she needed space. Most often without Kim having to say a single thing. When James had found out that the two girls had had sex, he'd almost gone ballistic until his wife had talked him down and explained everything to him. He wasn't quite ready to see his little Kimmie-cub grow up, but knew he had to accept it. He was going to give Rebecca his patented black hole speech, but he wisely chose to wait until his daughter was fully healed before doing so.

The weekend before school was to start back up, Rebecca went to talk to Kim's parents while the redhead was taking a nap in her room. She found the Doctors Possible in the den; James was reading a paper and Ann was sipping some tea while reviewing some medical reports.

"Um, Mister and Missus Possible?" she asked, her voice nervous and shy.

"Rebecca," Ann said warmly. "How's Kim doing?"

"She's fine," the shimmer-haired girl replied. "She's taking a nap right now."

"That's good. She needs as much rest as she can get right now, before school starts back up," the older woman said.

"You seem like you want to ask something," James noted, folding his paper up and setting it aside.

"Y-Yeah, there is," Rebecca admitted. It was obvious to the two adults that she was afraid of asking the question, or probably the answer. Surprisingly, James was actually the one to figure it out first.

"You're wanting to know if you can take Kimmie-cub out on a last date before school," he said. Ann looked at her husband in surprise, while Rebecca's jaw dropped open. He smiled at the girl's reaction. "Well, she does need her rest."

"Yeah, I know," was the somewhat dejected response.

"So don't keep her out late, and make sure she doesn't exert herself too much," the brown-haired man said, returning to his paper. Rebecca couldn't believe her ears, and looked at Kim's mom for confirmation.

"I'm with him on this one," the redhead agreed with a smile. "Where did you plan on taking her?"

"The Olive Garden," Rebecca said. "It was where we went on our first official date, and I wanted this one to be special, too. And my big sister gave me some money the other day, so I could do this."

"That was a very nice and brave thing Betty did for her," Ann said.

"My mother is awesome," the ivory-toned girl said proudly. "And thank you for letting me take Kim on this date."

"Just remember what we said, and make sure you two enjoy yourselves," Ann told her.

Samantha was actually the one who was taking the two girls on their date, which could've been awkward for all three of them but actually proved completely otherwise. It was obvious the pale-skinned woman felt guilty about Kim's current condition, but the teen hero waved aside the apology; it wasn't a big deal to her, and she'd already forgiven the older woman (a fact she made sure to let her know about). She left them alone on their date, saying that she'd be going just down the street, and for them to call her when they were ready to leave. Kim and Rebecca were taken to the exact same table they'd had on their first date, and also got the exact same waiter. Kim gave her girlfriend a look, and Rebecca admitted to setting the whole thing up. They ordered the same dishes they'd had on that first date, but when the food arrived Kim noticed a little problem. Before she could say anything, Rebecca had moved over to her side of the booth and helped her eat her dinner. Two of the other patrons in the restuarant walked by their table, and the woman said to her husband that they were perhaps the most ideal couple she'd ever seen. The comment made the two girls blush, but didn't stop them from what they were doing. They ordered dessert when they finished their meal, and Rebecca happily and lovingly assisted Kim in eating hers (she made sure to not put any of her girlfriend's dessert past her own lips). When the redhead started yawning, Rebecca called up her sister with the kimmunicator and then helped her girlfriend to the car after paying the bill and leaving a good tip for their favorite waiter. As on that first date, the two girls fell asleep on the way back to the Possible's house; but instead of waking one or both of them up, Samantha very carefully carried them both – one at a time – up to Kim's room (Ann's suggestion). Once in the bed, the two unconsciously snuggled closer to each other, prompting a smile from the raven-haired ex-villainess.

All in all, it had been a romantic and magical date for the two young women.

 _Middleton, Rockwaller Residence_

Ever since she'd blown up and cursed at her sisters, Bonnie found herself actually being left alone by them. It was a new and kind of unsettling experience, but the brunette found herself actually enjoying the way things were now. It also gave her a lot of time to think, and the youngest Rockwaller could finally admit to herself that was at least bisexual, and was definitely attracted to her former cheerleading rival. She just didn't know what to do about that, since she knew that Kim Possible was already in a relationship with someone. _So what do I care?_ Bonnie asked herself. She was sitting in her room, staring at a picture of the entire squad (it had been taken at one of the competitions prior to Kim leaving the team). Kim was, of course, in the center of the picture. _What if she rejects me?_ she wondered. _I mean, I_ have _been a bitch to her for years. Why would she even give me a chance to be at least friends? And what about that Rebecca girl? She and Kim seem pretty tight, and she can kick ass if what the news has reported is actually true._ The brunette hung her head, feeling a little depressed again. _How can I compete with that?_ Then a thought occurred to her. _What if I . . ._ don't _compete with that? What if . . . what if I can get_ Kim _to break up with that bitch? If I can do that, then I'd have a shot at getting Kim for myself!_ Bonnie smiled at that thought, even though there was a very faint twinge of guilt somewhere inside of her. She didn't care that she was planning on possibly ruining what could actually be a true and dedicated relationship; she wanted Kim Possible for herself, someone else had her, so she was willing to do whatever she had to do to make sure that _she_ , Bonnie Rockwaller, got the girl.

"I think I'll see if I can get Kim to tutor me," she mused aloud. "That would hopefully give us some alone time that I could use to feel things out, see if there's even a passing interest in me. And if little miss perfect does have an interest in me, then I'll work on seducing her." Bonnie nodded, satisfied with her plan.

 _Middleton, Stoppable Residence_

Ron was back home, having left Yamanouchi to return to Middleton. He needed to be here to keep a better eye on _his_ girl, plus he would have access to his kimmunicator and be able to get Wade to help him in finding the locations for the artifacts Monkey Fist wanted. Ron believed that he was doing the right thing in trying to get Kim to come back to her senses, and didn't care that he'd allied with one of his best friend's foes to do so. In the blond boy's mind, he was simply using the monkey-obsessed villain to achieve his goals, and would turn the man over to Global Justice as soon as everything was done and Kim had opened her eyes to the truth. He didn't think he could resume his friendship with her, not right away, but he would do his best to work his way back into her good graces, then go about proving that it was actually him, Ron Stoppable, that she needed and wanted. After all, he'd been there for her ever since pre-K; this girl that was 'supposedly' Kim's girlfriend had only been 'with' her for a couple of months at best. There was no way that she could've proven – in any way, shape, or form – that she was better for the redhead than he was. After all, Kim's girlfriend _was_ just a girl, no matter how good she was.

If Ron had actually been able to step outside of himself and view his thoughts and actions from a distance, he'd've realized just what he was actually doing. But things like that aren't so simple when you're in the middle of the situation, and Ron wasn't really too perceptive of relationship things on his best day. His time at Yamanouchi had sharpened his skills, and given him better control over the Mystical Monkey Power he possessed, but he had been so focused on Kim that he hadn't been able to achieve the clarity of mind he truly needed.

 _Don't worry, Kim_ , he thought, staring out his bedroom window at the night sky. _I'll get you back, and then everything will be like it's supposed to be._

 **E/N:** And there you have it. Chapter 13 was all about it's title for the most part.

Betty decided to stand by her family, Samantha was finally able to reunite with her mom, and she gained another mom as well as a little sister in the process. Kim is out of the hospital and back hom, though she still needs time to recover, and she went on a fantastic date with her girlfriend. But there are dark clouds on the horizon thanks to Bonnie and Ron.

Will Samantha's new relationship with her mom continue to grow? Will Betty get in trouble with the UN Security Council over her actions regarding Samantha and Ellen? And just how will Bonnie and Ron go about their seperate plans of getting Kim? The only way to find out is to keep reading, and find out the start of the coming storm in "Shadows of Future Days."


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Thanks everyone for being so patient with the delay in updating the last chapter. While I won't be updating daily anymore, I will be trying to update as often as I can.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 14 – Shadows of Future Days**

 _Middleton, Middleton High-Possible Residence_

The first day back at school was a strange one for Kim. Hell, the first _week_ was entirely strange. To start things off, Kim and Rebecca ran into Ron on their way to school, which could've been a potential disaster emotionally (and possibly physically) speaking; however, nothing untoward occurred, which surprised Kim (considering what had happened the last time she saw Ron) and made Rebecca suspicious (because she knew what had happened before and didn't trust the blond). As if seeing Ron wasn't enough of a shock, Bonnie had approached the couple and asked if they wanted to watch the cheer squad practice – and maybe even try out for it. Though the brunette had blushed after she'd said that, as Kim had lifted up her still-healing arm. But the couple had agreed to come watch the squad's practice, a little in shock at how nice Bonnie was being. Rebecca felt a slight sinking feeling in her stomach, as well as a burst of irrational anger at Bonnie; she didn't know what either feeling was, and was a bit hesitant about talking to Kim about them. She knew her girlfriend and lover wouldn't hold anything against her, and might even help her sort them out. She resolved to bring it up later, after school. To top off all of the weirdness, Coach Barkin had been the substitute teacher for their math class, and he'd actually been highly tolerable as well as less 'barky' than his name (and behavior) suggested to the students.

"I'm kinda creeped out right now," Rebecca told Kim as they walked back home after school that Thursday.

"Only _kinda_ creeped out?" Kim echoed incredulously. "Bonnie's doing a complete one-eighty with her personality, Barkin isn't barking much, and Ron's back. How the hell do you think _I'm_ doing?"

"To be honest I don't like Ron at all," the ivory-toned girl said, the bitterness in her voice surprising her girlfriend.

"Why not?" the redhead asked, a bit confused.

"When you came out to him, you were already emotionally unsteady because of what happened with my sister during the Li'l Diablo thing," she explained. "And instead of being there for you like he should have, since you two were friends since forever, he turned on you, snapped at you, and then left you to deal with everything on your own; incidentally, making your mental and emotional health worse."

"To be honest, if he hadn't, it might've taken us longer to get together," Kim told her. "Look, Rebecca, I understand how you feel. Really, I do, because I don't appreciate what he did to me, either. A hell of a lot more than you don't. But like you said, he's been my best friend for a long time. That, and the fact that I _am_ a kind and forgiving person, means that I want to give him a second chance."

"He just wants to get into your pants," Rebecca snapped, then her expression fell and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just . . ."

"It's okay, Bombshell," Kim said with smile, then putting an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders as they neared the Possible home. "You have nothing to be jealous about."

"Jealous. I'm jealous?" the other girl asked, surprised.

"You've never been jealous before?" the redhead asked, getting a head shake in response.

"You're the first person I've ever felt like this about," Rebecca explained, blushing. "And I don't want to have anyone else. So I've never had any real experience with jealousy."

"Well, you don't have to worry, my perfect Bombshell," Kim said, giving her girlfriend a peck on the cheek. "I'm a straight up lesbian, and I won't have anyone else but you."

"How can lesbians be straight?" the ivory-toned girl asked, smirking.

"I dunno," the redhead said with a shrug as they walked into the house. "But how do you feel about Bonnie being nice, since we're on the subject of weirdness?"

"It's disturbing," the plasma-wielding girl admitted. "She's been such a bitch to you for years, and really only stopped because I gave back more than she could handle, and now after summer break she's acting nice and friendly? That's just as unsettling as Ron's behavior; more so, really, since I already have experience with Bonnie." She sighed. "I can't help thinking, though, that something isn't right."

"Well, it isn't mind control," Kim said. "I had Wade do a scan of Bonnie after that first day, and it came up clean. Thanks to a lot of my villains, he has an extensive library of various mind-control methods. But he won't do anything with that knowledge because he's got such an amazing character."

"I'm just surprised we haven't had any missions recently," Rebecca replied as the two headed up to their room to start on homework (by now, they – and everyone else – really considered Kim's room to belong to both girls). Kim and Rebecca were still sexually active, though taking things easy because the redhead was still recovering. James had taken the fact that his daughter and her girlfriend were having sex a lot better than his wife had; his words when he was told about it: "At least she isn't doing it with some boy. Though I'll still have to have the black hole talk with that girl." The two girls didn't take long doing their homework, considering they were both pretty intelligent, and were about to head into the backyard to spar some when Ann Possible called out for Kim to come to the phone. Rebecca sat down in the kitchen to wait while Kim took the call in the den.

"Hello?" the redhead said after she'd been handed the phone.

 _"Kim? It's Bonnie,"_ said a familiar and not too welcome voice.

"Oh, hey, Bonnie," Kim replied, her mood falling a bit. "What is it?"

 _"Um, well, it's . . . I'm . . ."_ the other girl stammered.

"Just say it, Bonnie," the ex-cheerleader pushed.

 _"Alright, alright. Look, I'm having a bit of trouble with math, okay? And I was wanting to know if you could help me out."_

"Wait, hold on a minute," Kim interjected. " _You_ , Bonnie Rockwaller, are asking _me_ , Kim Possible, for _help_?"

 _"Look, I know it's fucked up, okay? But I did a lot of thinking over the summer, and . . . and I didn't like what I was turning into. I'm trying to start over, and I figured a good place to start would be with you. I still remember my first attempt, back when you were depressed and all."_

"I remember that, too," the readhead said. "So what's the deal, then, Bonnie?"

 _"I really_ do _need help with math, especially since I at least want to be able to go to a decent college or university."_

"You're actually thinking about your future?"

 _"Okay, Possible, enough with the teasing. Will you help me or not?"_

"Of course I'll help, Bonnie."

 _"And could you leave your girlfriend behind? I don't think she likes me at all."_

"I don't know, Bonnie," Kim said hesitantly.

 _"I'll make my peace with her, but you're easier to start with. Not that I think you're easy, I mean. I-I just-"_

"Relax, Bonnie," the redhead said, smothering a chuckle. "Look, I'll talk it over with her, and let you know if I can't make it. If I can, expect me in about ten minutes or so."

 _"Thanks, Kim. I . . . I really appreciate it."_ And then the call was disconnected. Kim looked at the phone for a minute before setting it back in its cradle and heading into the kitchen. Her girlfriend looked up as she walked in.

"So who was it?" Rebecca asked, standing up. She'd spent the time waiting studying her hands. Earlier, during school, she'd noticed a slight tremble to them that she couldn't really explain, though it had faded away after a while. But she'd experienced it again while waiting for Kim, and was now resting one hand on the table in the hopes of her girlfriend not noticing it.

"Oh, it was . . . Bonnie," Kim answered.

"What the hell did she want?" the ivory-toned girl asked.

"Be nice, Bombshell," the redhead replied. "She wanted to know if I'd tutor her in math."

"And you agreed?" Rebecca said incredulously. "What the hell, Bubbles?"

"Look, I didn't really agree, okay?" Kim responded, her tone a bit snappish. "I told her that I'd talk to you about it, and if you weren't okay with it I'd let her know."

"Would you still go if I _wasn't_ okay with it?" the orange-eyed girl asked, feeling a little hurt by her girlfriend's tone.

"No! Of course not!" Kim protested, feeling just as hurt. "I love you, Rebecca. If you weren't okay with something I wouldn't do it, you know that!"

"Yeah, I do," the red/black-haired girl agreed, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry."

"It's no big," the redhead said, moving closer to her girlfriend and pulling her into a hug, which was happily returned.

"Does she really need your help?" Rebecca asked softly.

"Bonnie has never really been good with math," Kim said.

"Then you should help her."

"Are . . . are you sure?"

"It's what you do, right? Help people?" the ivory-toned girl asked, pulling back a bit to look at her girlfriend's face.

"You've made it clear how you feel about Bonnie, though," the olive-eyed girl replied, gazing into her girlfriend's eyes. "If this is going to bother you I won't do it."

"It will bother me," Rebecca admitted. "But it would be selfish of me to stop you from helping someone who needs help just because of that." She sighed, looking away for a moment. "You always see the good in people, so maybe there's something redeemable about Bonnie. I . . . I just don't feel comfortable around her, so if you go I'll be staying here." She smiled at the redhead. "You're the woman I love; I trust and believe in you."

"Thanks, Bombshell," Kim replied, pulling her girlfriend back into the hug. "I promise, I won't be at her house more than an hour, okay?"

"Okay," Rebecca agreed, tightening her hug. That unidentifiable sinking feeling was back in her stomach, and she still couldn't explain it. She felt Kim wince, and immediately let go. "Sorry," she said.

"It's no big," Kim said. Though she was getting better, her arm was still bothering her a bit. Kim went to go get her bag and let her mom know what was going on, while Rebecca sat down and tried to work out what she was feeling – and while her hands seemed to be vibrating a little.

 _Middleton, Rockwaller Residence_

Kim was surprised by how happy Bonnie was when she showed up; she was actually hugged by the once-bitchy bruntette. As they went up to Bonnie's room, Kim noticed that the other girl's sisters were hanging back, as though wanting to watch Bonnie but afraid to do so. When they got into the bedroom, Bonnie shut and locked the door. She noticed the look on Kim's face at that, and blushed.

"I'm tired of my sisters thinking they can just come in here whenever they want and harass me," she explained. "Locking my door stops that."

"What about them involving your mom?" Kim asked.

"Are you kidding? My mom believes that her decision-making ends at that door," Bonnie replied. "What anyone does in their room is none of her business, she's said."

"I remember things being a bit different," the redhead said.

"Like I said, Kim," the brunette replied, her voice less stern, "I was doing a lot of thinking over the summer."

"I can see," the ex-cheerleader agreed softly. She had to shake away the thought that Bonnie looked a little cute when she looked vulnerable like that, but she went over and sat down at her former rival's desk. "So . . . let's get started on that math. What's giving you the most trouble?"

Bonnie walked over and sat on her bed, pulling out her math book and showing Kim what she was having issues with. It was typical high school trigonometry, but Kim could see how Bonnie would have trouble with it; it had been easy for her to get it, but she _was_ pretty smart thanks to a neurosurgeon mom and a rocket scientist dad. She looked over the homework assignments they'd been given for the week, and went over each type of problem step-by-step with the brunette. She explained each step as she went, and only went on when she was sure that Bonnie had gotten it. Kim made sure to keep an eye on the time, so she wouldn't be there longer than she'd promised her girlfriend. They'd gotten through most of the homework assignments by the time Kim had to leave. Bonnie, of course, wanted the redhead to stay longer, but she knew she couldn't do so without arousing suspicion so she let the redhead go. She did ask, though, if Kim would continue to to tutor her. The olive-eyed girl agreed to continue helping Bonnie out if the brunette ran into any problems with anything else. After Kim had left, Bonnie fell back on her bed and let out a sigh of pent-up frustration. It hadn't been easy for her to have the redhead there, even though it was what she wanted. It wasn't because she wanted to verbally abuse and degrade the other teen – Bonnie was actually completely sincere about her desire to be a better person than she had been – but because she had to restrain herself from going directly for her endgame. Patience wasn't really her strong point, but she knew she had to be patient to get what she wanted. At least when it came to a certain attractive redhead.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Kim had been gone for about five minutes, and the slight shaking in Rebecca's hands had finally stopped. Letting out a breath, she came out of the kitchen and went to the room she shared with her girlfriend. Once in there, she pulled out her kimmunicator and called up her moms. Isabella is the one who answered.

 _"Rebecca!"_ the raven-haired woman said with joy. _"How's my little girl doing?"_

"I guess I'm okay, Mom," the red/black-haired girl replied.

 _"What's wrong, sweetie?"_ her mom asked.

"I . . . I don't really know," she admitted.

 _"Are you and Kim okay?"_

"Yeah, we are. We, um, did kinda have a fight just a little earlier, though," Rebecca explained.

 _"What about, Firefly?"_

"Well . . . this girl that used to be a real bitch to Kim called her up and asked for tutoring," she replied. "She's been trying to be nice to us since school started up, but it's kind of making me feel weird."

 _"Weird how?"_ Isabella asked.

"I . . . I don't know. Kim said I was probably feeling jealous because of how I feel about her – her being Kim, I mean – and that it's okay to feel that way."

 _"It is, Rebecca. Jealousy is a natural part of life; well, at least as far as relationships go. I'm guessing that this girl is fairly attractive physically, even if her personality wasn't that way before."_

"Well, yeah, I suppose she _is_ a little easy on the eyes," Rebecca grudgingly admitted.

 _"Firefly, you have nothing to worry about. You and Kim are just perfect for each other. I'll admit that the possibility of romantic entanglements never occurred to either myself or your mother when we selected Kim to be the one for you to stay with, but it's turned out so well for everyone involved."_

"I just . . . all this week, ever since Bonnie's started being nice to us, I've been getting this really . . . weird feeling."

 _"What does it seem like?"_

"Like . . . like . . . well, I dunno. Like something's sinking in my stomach, but not in a good way. It makes me feel very uneasy, too."

 _"Rebecca,"_ Isabella said soothingly, _"I want to say that it's going to be okay, but I have promised to never lie to you. I don't think it'll turn out to be anything bad, but it sounds like some part of your subconscious has picked up on something and is trying to tell you about it."_

"But what could it be?" Rebecca asked, whining a bit.

 _"I don't know, sweetie. I'm not you, and I'm not there, so I can't really explain it any better. All I can say is you have to trust your instincts_ and _your girlfriend. You and Kim love each other in the same way that your mother and I do. I can't promise smooth sailing for the two of you;_ every _couple will have relationship troubles and fights every now and then. Those can't really be avoided. But how you handle them when they_ do _come up will determine how well your relationship does. Trust is a big part of that, and so is communication. You have to let Kim know how you feel. Talk things out, don't bottle them up. If you conceal anything, try to not feel, then it'll just blow up one day and cause a major issue that might not be able to be fixed."_

Rebecca was quiet for a few moments, thinking over her mom's words. "Thanks, Mom," she said after several minutes' worth of silence.

 _"It's what I'm here for, Firefly,"_ Isabella replied. _"Just remember that a relationship, like anything else, only gives back what you put into it. Trust is hard to come by, but easy to lose. Now I've got to go, sweetie; I have to review some asshole's idea about improving the tensile strength of the ballistic cloth used in the Global Justice agent uniforms. I love you, Rebecca."_

"I love you, too, Mom," the ivory-toned girl said, smiling. Her smile faded after the call was disconnected, though; thoughts of that unpleasant feeling and Bonnie intruded upon her mind, sapping away her good mood. _I don't know if I_ should _tell Kim right now_ , she thought. _I don't want to seem like a clingy girlfriend, or that I don't trust her. I mean, I doubt the tutoring will stop after just this day, but . . . something just doesn't seem quite right about it all. I understand that someone can change if they really want to, and they have a real reason to, but Bonnie still makes my skin crawl._ She fell back on the bed, hoping that she could banish these thoughts before her girlfriend got back. But a small voice in the back of her head was quietly whispering that she really needed to talk things out with Kim, let the redhead know her fears and thoughts, as soon as she could. But that small voice went unheeded.

 **E/N:** And there it is. I know this chapter is a bit short, but I'm sure that's okay. It wasn't really meant to be too long of a chapter.

So school's started up again and Bonnie's acting completely out of character. Ron's back, and it's still uncertain how things are between him and Kim. Kim's now tutoring Bonnie, though math probably won't be the only subject they work on. Rebecca is having some concerns about Bonnie's new behavior, and had a talk with her mom about it.

So just what is Rebecca afraid of? Will she and Kim talk about what's bothering the plasma-wielding girl, or will Rebecca just keep things bottled up? Things may become clearer in the next chapter of Red Flame, "The Approaching Storm."


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Thanks everyone for being so patient with the delay in updating the last chapter. While I won't be updating daily anymore, I will be trying to update as often as I can.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 15 – The Approaching Storm**

 _Middleton, Middleton High School_

That first week back was hard for Ron. Very hard. Seeing the girl he loved with _another_ girl, in the kind of relationship he believed they should've had, was very hard for him to take. After all, he and Kim had been best friends for a little over ten years, and (in his mind) they should've been together forever. He couldn't understand how someone like Kim, who always did the right thing and possessed the best moral compass he'd ever seen, could do something that was so obviously _not_ right. He wanted to come right out and tell her so, to take her back, but knew that even after the first week it wasn't the right time; even Monkey Fist had told him that. He had contacted Wade to let him know he was back, but refrained from asking about the Blessing of Sun Wukong right away. He needed to get back onto Team Possible first, and regain the trust of Kim and Wade. The blond wasn't worried about getting Rebecca's trust; after all, she was with _his_ girlfriend and wouldn't be an issue after everything was said and done. He would help Monkey Fist gain more power, and in return the Tai Shing Pek Kwar master would help him get Kim back. Even in his current state, Ron knew that that was out of character for the villain, but the cultured martial artist had assured him that it wasn't altruism at all that made him do so; he admitted to wanting to possess all of the Mystical Monkey Power, as he believed was his right, but at this time he would refrain from doing so until he'd defeated the one who proved to be more than his match. And then Ron found out that the person who had beaten Monkey Fist was in fact the same person who was now claiming his Kim. Even as he believed that, though, he also realized he couldn't really recall a time when he'd seen his best friend this happy and content. He still couldn't believe she would choose a girl over him, especially someone who looked so much like Shego. What surprised him even more was that the plasma-wielding woman with green-tinted pale skin was now a _teacher_ at Middleton High. His last year there, and he had to deal with Kim's most dangerous arch-enemy as a _teacher_. And as if that wasn't enough, Wade had cut him out of the loop. The 13-year-old super genius had contacted Ron on the blond's kimmunicator and told him that he knew the older boy was up to something, and he would only find out what _if_ Ron persisted in it. The naco-munching ex-sidekick had tried to protest against that, saying that he was only trying to patch things up between him and Kim. Wade had then asked why Monkey Fist was involved if that was the truth. Ron couldn't come up with an explanation for that, and the super genius had said that the blond needed to straighten himself out and figure out just who he really was. Then he'd ended the call and the kimmunicator started smoking and sparking.

"Everyone's turning against me," he said to himself as he sat – completely alone – at a lunch table, watching as Kim and Rebecca ate together, talking and laughing. None of the friends he'd had before he left (which was mainly Kim, Monique, Wade, and of course Rufus) were talking to him anymore. Of course, when he'd left to go to Yamanouchi, he'd left the naked mole-rat behind. So now that he was back, his best buds were ignoring him. He could understand Rufus giving him the silent treatment (he'd try to make it up to him by treating the naked mole-rat to a naco the next day), but not Kim. And now with Wade completely cutting him off, his efforts to find the locations for Sun Wukong's Blessing were completely stalled. The Middleton Museum no longer had its piece of the collection, as the item was actually a traveling piece that was making the rounds of various museums across the country. It would eventually make its way back to China to be permanently displayed within China's most prestigious cultural museum. _Wait a minute_ , he thought, toying around with the mystery meat on his tray, _that's it. Since it's a_ traveling _exhibit, there should be a flyer or brochure that I can use to find out its next location. The other two pieces of the collection will be almost impossible to find, though; according to Monkey Fist, there're only rumors and myths as to where those pieces were hidden._ Another thought then occurred to him. _I wonder if Wade's told Kim that I'm working with Monkey Fist? I know he's supposed to be_ my _arch-enemy or whatever, but she's helped defeat him every time he's attacked._ Even though he believed he was only doing this to get Kim back, make her see things the right way again, a part of him knew that what he was doing was _waaay_ wrong; since that part was in his subconcious, though, he wasn't aware of it so it was making him feel conflicted and plagued with doubts. He stood up, intending to dump his tray and then go talk to Kim, so he could patch things up between them. He'd made it to the trash and had tended to his tray, but when he turned around he found himself looking into the eyes of the girl that had stolen Kim from him.

"Let's get something straight, Stoppable," she said in a low and deadly voice that reminded him too much of Shego and sent a shudder down his spine. "Kim is my girlfriend. It didn't start out that way, but that's how things are now. She means more than the world to me. You've been her best friend for about a decade now, which is the only thing saving your ass from me. I won't do anything to hurt her or make her upset. She's had enough of that, thanks to her emotional trauma from both kicking my big sister into that radio tower _and_ you abandoning her when she came out to you. If all you're going to do is be her friend again, you and I will have no issues. I'm not going to say what'll happen if you're going to try to hook up with her again."

"I'm not afraid of you, you freak," he told her in a soft yet menacing voice. "I've gotten a handle on my powers, and I'm well trained in Tai Sheng Pek Kwar."

"Big fucking whoop," she replied. "I'm versed in two different Monkey Kung Fu styles, as well as nearly two dozen others. Those are just facts, not threats." Then her expression softened, throwing the blond off his game. "Just don't hurt Kim. Several people have tried that since I started helping her stop villains, and each one who has has ended up in the intensive care ward of a hospital. I don't like you and I don't trust you; I'm very good at reading people, and what you're telling me isn't good. Like I said; if you want to be _just_ friends with her again, that's fine with me." With that, she brushed past the boy, tended to her own tray, and went back to Kim.

All Ron could do was stand there, torn between his desire to kick that girl's ass and get _his_ girlfriend back – and his need to do the right thing.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Friday afternoon, no homework, a full weekend ahead – and Rebecca was sitting in the Possible's den, moping. Kim was in the kitchen, tutoring Bonnie on the science work for next week. The ivory-toned girl would never deny that her girlfriend was a wonderful person, nor that she would always be willing to help someone in need, but neither could she deny the slowly rising jealousy she felt whenever the redhead was with Bonnie. Rebecca knew that Bonnie was sincere in her desire to be a better person, but she still didn't like the fact that the brunette always seemed to be flirting with Kim. _Just my luck that somebody decides to discover their sexuality around_ my _girlfriend_ , she thought sourly. Rebecca was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she wasn't aware of what was on the TV anymore.

"Penny for your thoughts?" someone said from behind her.

"Fuck!" the ivory-toned girl said, startled.

"Rebecca Shaw," Ann Possible admonished.

"Sorry, Missus Possible," the teen said, flushing in shame.

"What seems to be the matter, dear?" the older woman asked, coming around to sit down next to the girl. Rebecca couldn't speak; she just looked down at her lap and stared at her hands. "Is everythign alright with you and Kim?"

"I don't know," she whispered in reply. "I'm hoping they are."

"What do you mean?" Ann asked, gently urging the girl to explain.

"I'm . . . I guess . . . I guess I'm just jealous of how much time she's spending with Bonnie," the red/black-haired girl replied, still looking down at her hands. "I know it's just tutoring and all, but it's the third time this week she's either been at Bonnie's house, or Bonnie's been here."

"Frankly, Rebecca, I'm surprised at how well they're getting along," Kim's mom said. "Kim and Bonnie used to be such fierce rivals."

"Bonnie's trying to be nice now," the girl explained. "Said she did a lot of thinking and soul-searching over the summer, and didn't like how she was turning out."

"That's a good thing, though, isn't it?"

"I guess it is. But she's always trying to flirt with Kim," Rebecca said dejectedly. "I think she _like_ likes Kim."

"How does Kim handle this?" Ann asked.

"I don't know," the girl admitted. "I'm usually not around when she tutors Bonnie, since Bonnie doesn't like me much."

"Have you talked with Kim about this?" the redheaded woman asked.

"I tried yesterday," Rebecca replied, "but she kinda brushed it off as me imagining things. I dunno; maybe she's right."

"Well, oftentimes those involved in a situation cannot see what is going on as clearly as those who aren't a part of it," Ann told her. "So you could actually be seeing things as they are. Kim, being in the middle of it, won't be able to see it. _If_ this is the case, that is. It could also be just what she says it is, too." Ann put a hand on the girl's knee, finally drawing her gaze. "You really should talk to Kim about this, Rebecca. She _is_ your girlfriend, after all, and you know she'll listen to any concerns you have."

"I already tried, though," the girl said, looking back at her hands.

"Then you keep trying until she understands your worry." Mrs. Dr. Possible sighed. "Rebecca, when I look at you and my daughter I see a love that is pure and strong. But love requires trust and honesty. You have to trust her to know what she's doing, but also be honest with her about your thoughts and feelings. If you don't-"

"-then I'll only have myself to blame if something happens," Rebecca finished.

"Not quite what I was going to say, dear," Ann told her. "I was going to say that if you aren't honest with her about things, it could break the trust that you two have. It's difficult to build up trust, too easy to shatter it, and even harder to rebuild it." The woman stood up and patted Rebecca on the shoulder. "Just think about what we've discussed, Rebecca. That's all I ask." Then Ann walked out of the den to check on the two girls in the kitchen, leaving a confused and fearful girl behind her.

 _Middleton, Samantha's Home_

Samantha dropped down on the black leather couch in the apartment she owned with a loud groan. She was happy to be teaching, to actually be using her degree, but it was a lot of work getting settled into the school system (and swing) at the beginning of a school year. She was actually thankful to Betty for helping her get a job teaching, especially at Middleton; it gave her a chance to get to know her sister. She knew that Rebecca may have started out as a clone of her, but the other girl was her own person now, and actually had been from the moment of her birth. Her parents (a smile graced her face as she considered Betty being one of them) had insisted that it was less due to the deal that they'd made with her, and more to Kim Possible's endorsement (not to mention the fact she threatened to go nuclear on anyone who upset her girlfriend, who happend to be Shego's sister; a bit of news that had surprised the pale-skinned woman). Of course, the fact that Betty casually offered to release certain files to select international media outlets and Isabella's not-so-subtle threats of bodily harm to anyone who upset 'her Fireflies' couldn't be discounted, either. Samantha kicked off her shoes and let out a groan of contentment, happy to get her feet out of those shoes. She was still wearing the black slacks and green blouse she'd had on for most of the day. Laying her head on the back of her couch, she closed her eyes and tried to relax a bit – only to hear a knocking sound at her door.

"Fuck," she groaned, getting up. "I'm not even home a minute and I've already got visitors." Making her way to the door, she yanked it open with the intention of verbally blasting whoever was there – only to see it was Betty.

"Mother," she said, her anger draining away fast. "I-I didn't, um, expect to see you."

"Obviously," the one-eyed woman said with some amusement. "Mind if we come in?"

"We?" Samantha echoed, confused. Then she saw a vaguely familiar brunette woman with striking blue eyes standing behind her mother. "Oh, um, yeah, sure," she belatedly said, stepping aside and motioning for them to come in. Betty and the other woman came into the apartment, the brunette flashing the raven-haired woman a dazzling smile that made her knees weak. _Hold on!_ She thought, closing the door behind them. _I can't be thinking like_ that _! Ellen's the only one I love! So why is this woman making me feel like this?!_ She couldn't help watching the stranger's rather shapely ass, admiring the way the white denim hugged those curves. Shaking her head to clear it and looking up higher to avoid such unloyal thoughts, Samantha found herself now admiring the way the iridescent blue fabric of the woman's blouse moved across her back. _Stop it, Samantha!_ she admonished herself. _Stop thinking like that!_

"So, um, would you two like some coffee or anything?" she offered, motioning for them to sit on the couch.

"No thanks, Firefly," Betty said, smirking as her new daughter glowered at her. "I'm just here to drop someone off."

"Oh, um, okay," the pale-skinned woman said, now thoroughly confused. Her confusion mounted when she turned to her other guest and found her smiling in a very familiar way. "W-What about you?" she asked.

"You know I don't drink coffee, Gemstone," the woman said. Both she and Betty burst out into laughter as Samantha's jaw dropped.

"Ellen?!" she exclaimed, stunned beyond belief.

"Surprise, baby," Ellen replied, standing up and throwing her arms around her girlfriend.

"B-But I thought . . . h-how the hell . . ." Samantha stammered. Ellen hugged the other woman tightly before stepping back.

"It happened while I was fighting your sister, Gemstone," the now tan-skinned woman explained. "I fired off that weapon I'd created, and a beam ricocheted into me, stripping me of my electrical powers and – with the exception of my eyes – returning me to my normal appearance."

Samantha couldn't say anything, so she just hugged her girlfriend to her again. She looked over at the couch and saw Betty smiling.

"Mother," she said, "how? I thought-"

"Well, Ellen _is_ supposed to be watched by a Global Justice agent, and you _are_ a probational agent," Betty said, smiling. "It's stretching the rules quite a bit, but I'll do anything to make my girls happy. And the council won't sack me no matter what; because if they did, I gaurantee I'd be back in the seat after no more than three months, max."

"You're an arrogant bitch, Mother," Samantha said, smiling as tears ran down her face. "You know that, right?"

"There isn't really a point to being in charge of a global law enforcement agency if I can't do the right thing for those who truly deserve it." Ellen turned around to stare at her girlfriend's mother.

"So . . . I'm actually going to be _staying_ here?" the tan-skinned woman asked, her voice breaking a bit.

"Absolutely," Betty confirmed. "You'll have almost the same work schedule as Samantha, although you'll be reporting to Global Justice's Middleton branch rather than the main headquarters facility." She stood up and walked over to hug the two younger women. "And if you two want to think me, just always be there for each other." Then she released them and left the apartment. Samantha turned her joyous gaze upon her girlfriend and hugged her again.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you again," the pale-skinned woman murmured into her beloved's brunette hair.

"Even if I'm not the electricity-crackling bitch I was before?" Ellen asked teasingly.

"So long as I have you, I don't care what you look like," Samantha told her, bringing tears to the other woman's eyes. "Now," the raven-haired woman said, pulling back a bit, "how about I make us some dinner?"

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice HQ_

"About damn time you got back," Isabella growled playfully as her wife walked into their quarters.

"Sorry about that, Kitten," Betty replied, shutting the door and turning to face her wife. "I had a bit of fun teasing Samantha a bit."

"She didn't recognize Ellen, did she?" the raven-haired woman said smugly.

"Not until she spoke, no," the one-eyed woman confirmed. "It was fun watching her check Ellen out without knowing who she was at first."

"I'm glad we were able to come through for them," Isabella said, sauntering over to the other woman in a seductive manner. Betty sensed there was something afoot, but couldn't put her finger on it. Her wife's behavior wasn't making it any easier to figure out. The raven-haired woman pressed herself against her still-uniformed wife and wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck.

"Now you've got a choice to make, Cyclops," she purred, her breath teasing Betty's neck and sending an aroused shudder down her spine.

"W-Wh-What ch-choice?" she stammered.

"Do you want supper first, or would you like to start with dessert tonight?" Isabella said, continuing to make her voice purr.

"Wh-What's for s-supper?" Betty asked, swallowing.

"The best Thai dish I can make," her wife replied.

"And d-de-dessert?" the one-eyed woman barely managed to get out. Isabella's voice dropped to a whisper.

"That would be me," Isabella whispered, "since I'm absolutely naked under this robe." Betty's eye widened and her jaw dropped completely as her wife stepped back and removed the robe, revealing that she was, in fact, commando underneath. "Now," the raven-haired temptress said, still with a seductive purr to her voice, "I'll be in the kitchen, just like this, until you decide what you want." Then she walked off into the kitchen, leaving her stunned wife there trying to get her mind working again. And once that happened, Betty was rushing to the kitchen, removing her clothes as she went.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

 _"It's the strangest thing, Kim,"_ Wade said a week and one day later. _"That artifact you and Rebecca stopped Moneky Fist from stealing last time got stolen."_

"Where at?" Rebecca asked, leaning into the kimmunicator's visual pickup.

 _"It was stolen from a museum in Dallas, Texas,"_ the super genius replied. _"And I can't get any security footage from the theft because the building lost power during the night."_

"So you think Monkey Fist managed to get it this time?" Kim wondered.

 _"More than likely. I've already begun a search to locate the other two artifacts, but it won't be easy; the Monkey's Fist was discovered completely by accident as it looks like all clues to the Blessing of Sun Wukong were destroyed. Whoever hid it definitely didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands."_

"Thanks, Wade," Rebecca told him, smiling.

"Do what you can," Kim agreed. "You rock."

 _"Tell me something I don't know,"_ Wade replied with a smile, before disconnecting. Kim's shoulders slumped a bit as she sighed. It was Saturday, and the two girls were resting in their bed after a vigorous sparring session earlier that morning. Rebecca moved behind her girlfriend and began rubbing the redhead's shoulders, heating her hands with low-level plasma to make the massage more effective. Kim let out a moan as the skilled hands of her girlfriend began working out the tension in her body.

"You're so tense lately," Rebecca said, shifting her efforts to Kim's back. "And I don't want you blaming it on school; you've handled more than this during the last week of school before summer."

"Well," Kim began to say.

"And don't try bring up the fact that you're back on the cheer squad again," her girlfriend warned. "You're not the captain anymore, and the practices this week weren't as hard as you keep trying to make them seem."

"What's the deal, Rebecca?" the redhead asked. "You've been so . . . so . . . odd the past few days." The red/black-haired girl stopped her massage.

"I've been odd?" she echoed, feeling a little hurt. "Look, I know you're tutoring Bonnie because she asked you and you're a nice person, but I think _you're_ the one acting odd."

"Is that right?" Kim said, a slight edge to her voice, as she turned around to face the other girl. "And what makes you say that?"

"Ever since you began tutoring Bonnie, you've been brushing me off a little," Rebecca replied, a small edge to her own voice.

"I'm just helping her out," the redhead said defensively.

"Kim, I've been pointing out to you what she's doing every time you tutor her over here," the ivory-toned girl responded, her temper rising a little. "I've been telling you how I feel about this, and you just keep brushing my concerns aside."

"No matter what you're think, Rebecca," Kim said in a warning tone, "Bonnie is _not_ hitting on me. I'm just helping her out."

"How can you be so blind?" Rebecca said in disbelief. "The only way she could be _more_ obvious is if she was humping your leg!"

"You know what? You're just being paranoid now. You never liked Bonnie from the moment you met her, and you're still acting like that even though she's changed!"

"You're _defending_ her?! Against _me_?!"

" _You_ aren't being very nice about things," Kim snapped.

"Is that so?" Rebecca said angrily, standing up. "Forgive me for caring about the girl I love, then!" With that, she stormed out of the bedroom, yanking the door shut as she left. Kim slumped down onto her bed, seeming to collapse in upon herself. Her relationship with Rebecca had been getting a bit strained lately. Kim blamed it on her girlfriend's irrational (to her) belief that Bonnie was using the tutoring sessions to hit on the redhead. Even if Bonnie was being nice now, and had admitted to wanting to be friends, she didn't think the brunette's teasing could be considered flirting. She believed that Bonnie was just trying to ease the tension that still rose between them after having been such strong rivals for years. Still, she felt as though her heart was starting to go to pieces now; it wasn't the first fight they'd had about this topic this week, but it was certainly the worst so far. Kim felt like crying, but she didn't know why. Or, rather, her conscious mind didn't want to believe what her subconcious was telling her.

Rebecca didn't bother going to the backyard after this fight; she didn't want to be around Kim right now, and being in the backyard still put her too close to her girlfriend. She decided to head to the park, hoping that a walk through it would help clear her head and calm her down. She stuffed her hands into the pockets on the sleeveless dark red Club Banana hoodie she was wearing, not noticing the slight tremors her hands had. If she had noticed, she'd've put it down to the adrenalin coursing through her at the moment. As she headed to the park, she couldn't help but feel like Kim was slipping away from her. Rebecca knew that fights and spats were actually somewhat normal for the early stages of a relationship, but things didn't seem like that to her. At least, not what she thought 'normal' was for this. It wasn't that Kim was disagreeing with what she was saying, but more like she was refusing to believe her at all, or even acknowledge her concerns. During any of the disagreements they had on what she was calling 'The Bonnie Problem,' not once did Kim volunteer or offer to talk to Bonnie about things, to clear the air or confirm the ivory-toned girl's fears. A few tears escaped her orange-colored eyes as she entered the park. _What's happening to the Kim I fell in love with?_ she asked herself.

And over the next month or so, the situation between Kim and Rebecca didn't really improve much. Kim still refused to believe that Bonnie was hitting on her, and continued to say that the brunette was just becoming more open and kinder. Rebecca refused to accept those assurances, since her girlfriend never talked to Bonnie about the situation. It got so that if Bonnie was coming to the house for tutoring, Rebecca would find some way to be somewhere else, not wanting to be around either girl if both were present. She didn't have much of a choice at school, though she did refuse to talk to Kim during lunch and the free period they shared. She still did show up to cheer practices and events in support of her girlfriend, but always refused to tag along to any after-victory celebrations, hoping that Kim would also decline (she never did, of course). Ann noticed the problems between the two girls as well, and tried to talk to Kim about the situation herself, only to get pretty much the same explanations that Rebecca did. The ivory-toned girl would call her parents three or four times a week now, talking to them about what was going on. They tried to help their daughter as best they could, but to no avail. Even Samantha and Ellen tried to help out, Samantha going to spar with Kim while Ellen sat down and talked with Rebecca.

But it looked like there was trouble in paradise for the two teens, and it would be only a matter of time before things reached a flashpoint.

 **E/N:** Looks like things aren't going so well now. Bonnie has put her plan into action, but Kim doesn't seem to realize (or is ignoring) what's going on. Ellen is back to normal, so to speak, and is now living with her girlfriend. Ron is still helping Monkey Fist, and still wants to get Kim for himself, but he seems to be having a conscience attack.

So what will happen now? Will Kim and Rebecca manage to work things out? Will Ron actually do anything for his plan to get Kim back? And what about Monkey Fist? Looks like you'll have to find out in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Where's the Silver Lining?".


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** I know I've usually been updating every other day with this story, but I woke up this morning feeling jazzed for RF so here it is.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 16 – Where's the Silver Lining?**

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice HQ_

"You're sure about this?" Betty Director said, setting the report she'd just finished reading onto her desk and looking at Will Du. He nodded, and Betty was surprised to see regret in the normally stoic man's eyes.

"I had everything triple-checked and reconfirmed before bringing it to your attention, ma'am," he said, surprising his boss even more by allowing the regret to also color his tone.

"This bothers you, doesn't it, Will?" she asked, looking at the young man.

"It . . . it is hard to accept," he admitted.

"Care to explain, Will?" Betty asked, gesturing to a seat in her office. The black-haired young man sat down and actually seemed to lose the regulation pose he always had.

"We hadn't heard anything about Monkey Fist since his aborted theft at the Middleton Museum," he began. "And of course there was Mister Stoppable's disappearance prior to the start of Middleton High School's summer vacation." Betty sensed a slight hesitation in the young man's voice right before he mentioned Ron, but managed to keep her expression neutral. "Then Monkey Fist vanishes from sight almost immediately before Mister Stoppable's reappearance." There was that hesitation again. "There hasn't been in direct evidence of Monkey Fist's presence, only signs of where he might have been." All of that was in the report Betty had finished reading, but she knew she had to let her top agent talk this heart in order to get to the reason of why he was actually seeming human now. "Then Mister Load notifies us that he's severed all contact with Mister Stoppable and fried the young man's kimmunicator. He wouldn't say why, so I did some investigating. I contacted our Asian branch asked them to look into matters there while I did the same here."

"Go on, Will," the one-eyed woman said softly, after it seemed like the man wouldn't be able to continue.

"I . . . we . . . intercepted a cellular communication between Mister Stoppable and Monkey Fist," he went on, a strain in his voice. Betty examined him and like the hammer of a mythological god the realization slammed into her. She _recognized_ where she'd seen the exact mannerisms and behaviors Will Du was currently displaying before. She wasn't sure what suprised her more right now: the fact that her regulation-obsessed subordinate actually possessed human emotions or the other, more telling information. "What we overheard during Mister Stoppable's call to Monkey Fist was confirmed by our Asian branch – as well as the Yamanouchi Ninja School," Will continued.

"I know it isn't easy to say, Will," she said, "but you _have_ to say it; it's the only way to begin getting past this."

"Mister Stoppable is working with Monkey Fist to steal a collection of mystical artifacts known as the Blessing of Sun Wukong," he replied, his shoulders slumping. _Oh, he's got it bad_ , Betty thought. "I can see what Monkey Fist stands to gain from this, but I don't understand why Ron would do this."

 _So it's_ Ron _now_ , she thought, but didn't say aloud.

"Let's look at another situation, then," Betty told him, leaning back in her chair. "A few months ago, Doctor Drakken and Shego were involved in a plot to take over the world using an army of flight-capable robots that started out miniaturized. They were stopped by Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Now, during the lead up to Drakken's unveiling of his plan, he used a specially-created synthodrone to distract and manipulate Kim Possible so she wouldn't be able to figure out or stop his plans. When she found out, she wasn't in an exactly stable emotional state. During her later fight with Shego, Kimberly kicked her into active and electrically-charged radio tower." Betty took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Knowing Kimberly's psyche profile, and taking into account the emotional and mental strain she was already under, it's safe to say that she broke. Remember that week when we had to handle everything?" When Will nodded, she continued. "According to my youngest daughter, Kim had been battling a severe and almost crippling depression. The day _after_ the Li'l Diablo attack, she told Ronald about her homosexuality. The young man didn't take it well, according to Rebecca, and shattered Miss Possible's already fragile state." Will's eyes widened, and Betty knew that he'd gotten what she was saying.

"He's working with Monkey Fist to get Miss Possible back?" he asked, though it wasn't exactly a question. "But Miss Possible is dating your daughter, isn't she?"

"Yes, but that is why Ronald is adament about getting her back, I believe," Betty said. "I imagine he still has what he believes are romantic feelings for Kimberly, and probably sees her homosexuality as a mistake on her part. And Rebecca was the one primarily for Monkey Fist's defeat during his first attempt to steal the Monkey's Fist. So I would guess that Monkey Fist has agreed to help Ronald in exchange for the Blessing of Sun Wukong as well as the chance to defeat the very person who defeated him. After all, Monkey Fist sees himself as the true master of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, as well as the true inheritor of the Mystical Monkey Power. So having his ass kicked by a teenage girl who is his superior in Monkey Kung Fu but possesses not one drop of the Mystical Monkey Power has to be a blow to his pride and ego."

"Do you think Miss Possible knows about Ron?" Will asked.

"No," she replied. "If she did, something would've happened already and Monkey Fist would not have been able to make a second attempt on the Monkey's Fist."

"She should be informed, shouldn't she?" he inquired, showing concern.

"I'm not sure that now is a good time," Betty said, closing her eye. "Right now, things are . . . tense between Rebecca and Kim. I know that witholding this from her could have reprecussions later on, but I don't have a choice at the moment." She opened her eye and looked at Will, a smile on her face. "So, Will," she said, "you and Ronald, huh?" To her amusement, the black-haired young man blushed. He tried to stammer an explanation, but Betty held up a hand to quiet him down.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Will," she told him. "I'm glad that you finally learned you don't always have to be focused on work, and I am sorry that the person you care about it has done something like this." She tilted her head to one side. "Does he know how you feel?"

"No," Will replied morosely. "A-and I'm . . . I'm not sure about telling him, considering how he reacted when Kim told him about herself. And with what he's doing now?"

"I understand," she told him. "It wasn't easy when I came out to my parents. Mom fully supported me, but Dad and Sheldan reacted like I was a monster or something. Our parents got into a lot of fights because of my sexuality and her support of it, so they ended up getting divorced. Though our mom won the custody battle for us, Sheldan always blamed me for 'tearing the family apart' as he puts it." She stood and came around her desk, placing a hand on Will's shoulder. "I was fortunate in that the person I was attracted to then was accepting of me, too. You're in a harder position, but you do know that you don't have to face this alone."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, looking up at her and smiling.

 _Middleton, Middleton Park_

Rebecca was sitting on a bench in Middleton Park, staring unseeing at the pond in front of her. Behind her, she could hear laughter and other sounds indicating people were having fun and enjoying the beautiful fall day. She didn't fault them for being able to enjoy the day; it was a beautiful Saturday, after all. Leaves were decorating the ground, and there were even some piles that were irresistable to little kids. Their laughter and giggles made her spirit feel a bit lighter; after all, how could you stay too sad when you could hear that kind of joy and happiness? Still, she sighed as the sounds brought to mind the times she and Kim used to have fun. Nowadays, if they were together, they didn't really speak much because it would always turn into an argument about Bonnie. Kim still insisted that nothing was going on between her and the brunette, even though she'd sometimes meet with Bonnie outside of school-related activities. Rebecca felt as though there was a cold, vice-like hand clutching her heart and squeezing it in a remorseless and unrelenting grip. She didn't understand why her girlfriend wouldn't believe her about Bonnie; she'd never lied to Kim in the past and would never lie to her at all. Bonnie was at the Possible's right now, having Kim help her on a history paper due next week. The ivory-toned girl, with her unique hair color that always seemed to shift between black and deep red all the time, didn't like being away from the young woman she loved so completely, but she couldn't stand being around the tan-skinned interloper. Rebecca didn't like it when she and Kim fought, but every time they talked about things it would always end up becoming a fight about the redhead spending so much time with Bonnie. A tear fell from her eye and made its slow, sorrowful journey down her cheek.

"Hey, lady, are you okay?" a small voice asked. Startled, she looked around and saw a little girl staring at her.

"Not really," she surprised herself by admitting, before reaching up to brush the tear away.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked.

"You know, you're not really supposed to talk to strangers," Rebecca told the girl, but gently. The girl seemed to think about that, getting a serious expression that looked adorable on such a young face.

"I'm Rachel," she said, holding out her hand. A bit confused, Rebecca shook the little girl's hand and said, "I'm Rebecca."

"Now we're not strangers!" Rachel replied perkily, prompting a chuckle from the ivory-toned teen. She realized it was the first time she'd actually been able to do something like that in what felt like too long. "So, what's wrong?" the little girl asked again.

"I'm in love with someone," Rebecca explained, "but right now we're not talking because every time we do we end up fighting." She sighed. "I just don't know what to do."

"My mama says that if you really love someone, then the bad things that happen shouldn't matter," Rachel said. She tried for a stern expression, but her attempt only brought a smile to Rebecca's face.

"Sometimes it isn't that easy, though," she told the girl. "She doesn't want to listen to me right now."

"Do something nice for her," Rachel said. That startled Rebecca, but her new friend thought she was confused so she went on. "If you're fighting, but you love each other, then maybe doing something nice for her will make things better." Rebecca felt like an idiot just then. Rachel, who didn't look any older than 7 or 8, apparently had a clearer picture of things than she did. Then the feeling of idiocy grew when she remembered that Kim's mom had said the same thing to her back in the first week of August, only Rebecca had thought the older woman had been referring to just Kim's inability to see Bonnie's actions for what they really were.

"Rachel!" the two heard someone call out. Rebecca and the little girl turned to see two women walking towards them. "Rachel! There you are," one of them said, bending down to pick up the little girl. Your mom and I were worried, sweatheart."

"I'm sorry, mama," Rachel said, hugging the woman. "I saw this sad lady and wanted to cheer her up."

"I hope she wasn't any trouble," the unemcumbered woman said apologetically.

"Not at all," Rebecca replied, smiling. "In fact, she was very helpful."

"Can I see her again, mama?" the little girl asked.

"I don't know, sweetie," the blond woman replied, adjusting her grip so her daughter didn't fall.

"I wouldn't mind," the ivory-toned girl said. "She's a very sweet girl."

"Thank you," the raven-haired woman said, smiling. "I'm Amanda Teague, and this my wife Claire."

"I'm Rebecca Shaw," Rebecca replied.

"You're the girl that helps out Kim Possible, aren't you?" the blond, Claire, asked.

"She's my girlfriend," the red/black-haired girl confirmed.

"You're a very lucky person," Amanda told her.

"So you're daughter made me realize," she replied, smiling at the little girl.

"Hey," Claire put in, her tone and expresion thoughtful, "would you be available to maybe babysit sometime? Not now, of course, but sometime in the future maybe?"

Rebecca smiled. "I'd be glad to," she replied. "Just get in touch with me through Kim's site when you need me."

"Thank you," the two women said in unison. "We'll let you go now," Amanda added, and the family walked away. Rebecca watched them go, already feeling as though a weight had been lifted off of her soul. Then she, too, left the park; she was going to go to the mall and look for something that would help her apologize to Kim for the way she'd been acting.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

"This is so boring," Bonnie complained, prompting a giggle out of Kim. "What are _you_ laughing about?"

"You," Kim replied, trying to smother her giggles. "You're the one who wanted to work on our history reports together, and _now_ you're complaining about it." Kim's words, and her failure to stifle her giggles, brought a smile to the brunette's face. As the two went back to their homework, Kim felt a twinge of guilt when she realized that she was actually glad that Rebecca wasn't there; lately all they'd been doing was fight. And their arguments always centered around Bonnie, and the fact that Kim was spending so much time with her. She couldn't understand her girlfriend's obsession with making it seem like Bonnie was trying to seduce her. Bonnie was only trying to become friends with Kim, trying to make herself into a better person. Was it wrong to help her do that? The way Rebecca was acting seemed to make it seem that way. She did feel bad about the fact that they always seemed to be fighting, and resolved to make things up to her girlfriend later. _Maybe I can take her out to dinner, or a movie_ , Kim thought. _Or maybe both_. The redhead turned her thoughts back to her history report, though that idea remained in the back of her mind. She was also aware of how close Bonnie was sitting to her, but didn't impart anything special or significant to it. Another twinge of guilt went through her as it occurred to her that, right now, she preferred _Bonnie's_ company to her _girlfriend's_ presence.

"Hey, Kim?" Bonnie asked, still looking at her report and writing.

"Yeah?" Kim responded, her eyes still on her own paper.

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Kissing another girl?"

"Say what?" Kim asked, startled. She was now staring at Bonnie, her pencil forgotten in her hand. Bonnie, for her part, was looking right at Kim, too; only _she_ didn't seem flustered or startled at all.

"What's it like kissing another girl?" Bonnie repeated, moving a bit closer to the redhead.

"Uh, Bonnie, we . . . we need to get back to our school work," she replied nervously.

"It isn't due until Tuesday, Kim," the brunette reminded her. "It'll be okay if we don't finish it today." Unbeknownst to Kim, Bonnie had leaned closer to her while she was talking. When she managed to focus on the brunette, their faces were less then an inch apart – and Kim had no room to back up.

"B-Bo-Bonnie," she stammered.

"Kim," the brunette said, "I realize just why it was that I was always such a bitch towards you, and for so long. Part of it was because that's the environment I was raised in, that being that way was how you expressed love. Then I met you back in junior high, and saw how you were just nice to people. I liked that. I liked how you genuinely cared about everyone, and would help anyone out who asked. But I only knew one way to express myself, and it turned us into bitter rivals. It got worse when we got into our junior year of highschool."

"Bonnie," Kim replied, trying to slip out from between the other girl's arms. "We can't do-"

"Yes we can, Kim," Bonnie told her. "What made highschool worse was the fact that I realized I just wasn't into boys. All the guys I dated or made passes at that you wanted? I only did that to keep them from you. I want _you_ Kim." And with that, Bonnie closed what distance there was between them and kissed the redhead on the lips. An involuntary moan escaped from Kim's lips at the contact; it had been too long since she and Rebecca had kissed, much was been intimate with each other. Bonnie broke of the kiss to lean forward a bit more, her breath warm on Kim's ear. "Just let go, Kim, and go with it," she said as she began nibbling on the other girl's ear.

Rebecca was walking back to the Possible's house, her heart lighter and a spring in her step. It had taken her longer than she'd thought, but in the end she found the perfect thing that would – she hoped – express to Kim how sorry she was for the fighting, and at least get them talking to each other again. She didn't have it in a bag, and the receipt was jammed into a pocket in her red denim cargo pants. She'd run into her sister and her girlfriend at the mall, and had talked with them for a bit; it was actually Ellen who had helped her pick out the gift. It had been quite a bit more than she'd had available, but Samantha didn't want to see her sister disappointed so she bought it for the younger woman. Rebecca couldn't believe that she'd done that for her, but the pale-skinned woman had said that family always helped out family. She'd hugged the two women, and immediately ran out of the store and then the mall. She'd slowed down to walk when she'd gotten to the neighborhood where the Possible's house was, trying to slow down her breathing and pulse so Kim wouldn't be worried about her. She didn't want her girlfriend to know that there was a surprise.

When she got there, she knocked on the door and went right on in. Kim's mom was in the den when she came in, and looked up.

"Rebecca," she said, smiling at the teen. "You look . . . better."

"I, um, did a lot of thinking today and just decided to swallow my pride and apologize to Kim," she replied. She looked around. "Where is she?"

"Oh, she and Bonnie are up in her room working on history papers," Ann explained.

"Bonnie's . . . still here?" the ivory-toned girl asked, her mood falling a bit.

"Yes, but I think they should be finished by now," the older redhead said. She smiled. "Let me guess; you got Kim a gift."

"Don't say it so loud!" Rebecca hissed, making Ann chuckle at her.

"Okay, I won't say a word," she promised. Then she made shooing motions, making the girl laugh. Rebecca turned and headed up the stairs to Kim's room. When she got there, she didn't even bother to knock; she'd never had to in the past.

"Hey, Kim. Can we ta-" Rebecca said, climbing all the way into the room before her eyes focused on the bed and her voice became choked off. Two heads whirled around to stare at her. Both had shocked expressions, but only one had fear in the eyes, too. Kim and Bonnie were sitting together in an intimate embrace; both were still dressed from the waist down, but Bonnie was completely topless from the waist up and Kim only had her bra left on top. The two had been kissing rather animalistically prior to Rebecca's arrival, and Bonnie still had a hand down the front of Kim's pants. For a moment, there was neither sound nor movement. Rebecca's brain was trying to process what her eyes were seeing, and was coming up against a block; that block being that she and Kim were in love. And it was the redhead that broke the silence.

"Rebecca-" Kim started to say. That broke the red/black-haired girl out of her trance and her eyes blazed (literally) with anger, fury, and – most of all – a soul-deep pain. A red glow filled the room as plasma came to life around her hands and went up her arms, burning the sleeves and parts of the shirt as it went. Bonnie scrambled back in terror, pulling Kim's blanket up to hide herself while Kim herself got off the bed and fearfully moved towards her girlfriend.

"Rebecca," she started again, walking closer to the enraged girl. "Please listen. I can ex-" Kim's words were cut off by an unbelievably loud smack. Rebecca's hand had come up and slapped across the redhead's face as hard as she could make it, though the plasma field around that arm died right before the hand slammed into the other girl's cheek. A completely red handprint was now visible on the side of Kim's face, and the redhead knew that she'd been hit hard enough for it to bruise once the skin stopped looking so irritated. She turned her face back to look at her (more than likely) ex-girlfriend and felt her heart shatter at the impossibly deep pain she found in those now completely open eyes. Tears were falling from them in a torrent, making what little makeup the girl actually wore streak down her face. Unnoticed by anyone there, a small box had fallen from Rebecca's hands prior to Kim's first attempt to speak and tumbled down the stairs. Then Rebecca turned around and ran down the stairs from Kim's room, almost overbalancing and falling in the process.

 **E/N:** I am so sorry, everyone. The story was heading to this point from the last few chapters. And just so y'all know . . . it was unbelievably hard to write that last scene. But it had to be done. Please don't hate me. Nothing more to say here except to look for the next chapter, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story. The title of this chapter is a song that is owned by Green Day.

 **A/N:** Once again, I _am_ sorry for the last chapter. It was so, so hard for me to write it. This chapter is named after the Green Day song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" on their album 'American Idiot.'

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 17 – Boulevard of Broken Dreams**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

Rebecca couldn't take it; she just couldn't. Her heart felt like it shattering into countless pieces, her soul felt ripped apart, and she couldn't seem to breathe. She stumbled down the steps leading to Kim's room, narrowly missing a major fall as well as the box she'd dropped, and (to her) staggered through the house. She wasn't aware of anything beyond the pain and hurt she was feeling, so she wasn't aware of how much noise she was making, nor of the fact that she was openly and loudly sobbing. She wasn't even aware of passing through the den and heading out the front door, which meant she also didn't hear Ann Possible calling out to her. The only thing she was aware of, beyond her pain, was a need to get as far away as she could. It didn't even occur to her to call her moms or her sister. She was out of the house and down the street before Ann could even get to the door.

Back in Kim's room, the redhead could only stare at where her girlfriend had been, holding one hand to her cheek. Her mind seemed to have frozen, locked onto the last thing she could recall seeing; which was the raw and completely open _hurt_ she'd seen in Rebecca's eyes. A single tear rolled down the girl's cheek, breaking the spell she'd seemed to have been under.

"Oh, God," she whispered, too softly for even her own ears to hear.

"Kim?" she heard from behind her. For a moment, she couldn't figure out why there was someone else in her room, or even who it was. "Kim?" she heard again. Turning around, her hand still on her cheek, she faced whoever else was in her room. It took a moment to realize it was Bonnie. And when that realization hit her, it also brought back the memories of what she'd done. Bonnie was coming towards her, the blanket no longer hiding her.

"She hit you," the brunette whispered, walking closer to the other teen. "How could she-" For the second time in less than a minute, Kim's room heard the sound of a loud smack. Bonnie pulled back in shocked disbelief, her hand reaching up to grab her own face as Kim drew her hand back.

"Get out," Kim said in a low voice that would've made even a pissed-off wolverine back up.

"What?" Bonnie asked, not believing what had just happened.

"I said get out!" Kim shriked, making the other girl shrink away. "Get your stuff and get the hell out!"

"But, Kim!" the brunette replied. "I love you!"

"You only think you do!" the redhead cried. "I _don't_ love _you_! I love Rebecca! And I'm _in love_ with _her_! And now?! Now, because of my own stupidity, I may have lost her forever!"

"Kim," Bonnie said, hurt by the other girl's words.

"Just get out, Bonnie," Kim said in a soft voice. She sagged to the floor, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "And don't bother coming back; I'm done with you. Period." She looked at her former rival, the spark that had made Kim _the_ Kim Possible fading from her eyes. "I don't ever want to see you again." Hearing the finality in Kim's words, Bonnie turned around and slipped her shirt back on. She grabbed her bra and school work, stuffed them into her backpack, and left without another word. She went past Ann, who was on her way up to find out what had happened. Bonnie didn't say a word, but the older redhead only needed to look at the girl to figure out what had happened. It was confirmed when she got up into Kim's room and saw her daughter on her floor, shirtless but still clad in a bra.

"Kimberly Ann Possible," Ann said in a stern tone. She was about to say more when her daughter turned her head to look at her; her mom couldn't speak when she saw Kim's face. Her daughter had always had a spark to her, one that was always visible in her eyes. But now her daughter's normally vibrant olive green eyes appeard dull and lifeless. She'd never seen the younger redhead like this at all; not even back in that week before Rebecca had first arrived. "Kimmie?" she asked, her anger now replaced by concern.

"It's all my fault, Mom," Kim whispered hoarsely. Ann had to cover her mouth in shock; her daughter's voice was so dull and flat that it sounded as far from normal as possible. And although Ann didn't know it, those were the last five words Kim would ever say to anyone.

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice HQ_

Isabella Shaw was in the middle of making dinner for her and Betty when the phone started ringing. Finishing up what she was currently doing, she grabbed a towel to clean her hands on and then grabbed the handset off the wall.

"I'm in the middle of making dinner, so this better be good," she growled.

 _"Isabella? It's Ann,"_ she heard.

"Oh! Ann, I'm sorry!" the raven-haired woman apologized. "I didn't expect you to be calling on this line; it's the one my department usually uses to get ahold of me at home."

 _"I had Kim's friend Wade connect me to you,"_ Ann explained. _"I just asked him to get me the quickest line to you."_

Something in Ann's voice sent a feeling of dread straight to Isabella's gut.

"What's going on, Ann?" she asked, the tremor in voice telling just how upset the normally unflappable woman was.

 _"It's . . . it's about Rebecca."_

"What happened?" she demanded, though it came out more as a plea.

 _"She's gone."_

"What?!"

 _"She ran away,"_ Ann explained. Before Isabella could demand anything further, the other woman went on. _"You know that Kim and Rebecca have been having difficulties in their relationship because of Kim's tutoring of Bonnie. Well, apparently that wasn't the real reason. Or at least not the main one. Bonnie has been using the tutoring sessions to get to Kim, and today she almost managed to get my daughter to have sex with her."_

"Oh, God," Isabella whispered, realizing immediately what had happened.

 _"Rebecca walked in on them,"_ the redhead confirmed. _"While Kim is responsible for things going that far, Bonnie is the reason the situation happened at all. Please don't blame Kim. Not entirely."_

"If it wasn't for how much your daughter means to my youngest daughter," Isabella said softly, "I'd be doing something right now that would undoubtedly land me in jail until your great-grandkids graduated with Master's degrees." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She didn't hear anything on the phoneline but could tell the call was still active, so she knew that Ann was still there. "That said, I know what it's like to be emotionally vulnerable and open to lustful actions like your daughter." She paused as something occurred to her. "How is Kim handling this?"

 _"I . . . I don't really know,"_ Ann admitted. The fear in her voice snagged Isabella's attention. _"She . . . she isn't speaking anymore."_

"Pardon?" the raven-haired woman said, blinking.

 _"By the time I got to her room, she was on the floor. I was going to lecture her, but when I saw her face . . . Isabella, I almost didn't recognize her. The last thing she said to me was, 'It's all my fault, Mom.' And now . . . now she doesn't speak at all."_

"How long has it been since Rebecca ran?" she asked.

 _"Not too long,"_ Ann replied. _"About fifteen minutes, give or take. I would've called sooner but-"_

"No need to explain," Isabella interrupted. "I'm a mother as well, remember?"

 _"I've already asked Wade to start looking for Rebecca."_

"I don't know if that'll do any good, but I appreciate it."

 _"What do you mean?"_

"Rebecca is trained well enough to disappear completely if she wants to, remember?" the raven-haired woman reminded her. "If she doesn't want to be found, no one can find her. But that doesn't mean to not look for her. I'll . . . I'll let my wife know what's happened. You go take care of your daughter. I know that she didn't intend for this happen, that she truly does love my little Firefly, so I'm sure that she's absolutely crushed about what's happened."

 _"Thanks for understanding, Isabella,"_ Ann said gratefully.

"Your daughter still isn't off the hook, though; I'll be having a discussion with her about all of this; after we find Rebecca."

 _"You don't know the half of it."_

The two disconnected the call, and Isabella sagged to floor, feeling as though a great weight had settled upon her heart. A few minutes later, she heard the door to their on-base apartment open and knew that her wife was home.

"I'm home, Kitten!" Betty called out. "And something smells delic-" The one-eyed woman stopped speaking when she came into the kitchen. "Isabella!" she cried out, rushing over to her wife. "Baby, baby, speak to me. What's wrong?"

"Ann called," Isabella said softly, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, God," Betty said. "Is Rebecca hurt? Did something happen to Kimberly?"

"Rebecca's . . . she's . . . she's . . . gone!" Isabella wailed, throwin herself into her wife's arms and sobbing on her shoulder. For a moment, Betty couldn't breathe; but then her concern for her wife overrode her own and she pulled the woman closer to her and held her. She only left Isabella for a moment to turn off the stove and oven, then was back to holding her wife. She didn't know how much time had passed, nor did she care; but eventually Isabella stopped sobbing and was quiet. Betty pulled back just far enough to tip her wife's head up so they could look into each other's eyes.

"Now, Kitten," she said softly and gently, "tell me everything that you know." Isabella nodded and proceeded to relay what Ann had told her. Betty had almost the same reaction her wife had had, though admittedly less violence-oriented. She didn't even hesitate after learning everything when she said, "I'm going to mobilize some agents to begin searching around Middleton first, and get the satellite grid to begin searching for thermal signatures, since Rebecca does have a higher than normal temperature." She stood up, pulling her wife with her. "Don't worry, my love," she said, stroking the side of the other woman's face. "We'll find her. We'll get her back. And then we'll figure out just what the hell happened."

 _Middleton, Samantha's Home_

"What the fuck?!" Samantha shouted into her phone, making her girlfriend – who was all the way in their bedroom – jump a foot off the bed. "When I get my hands on that little redheaded bitch-" Ellen heard her girlfriend get cut off. She couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but knew Samantha well enough to know that whatever she'd heard to cause that outburst probably wouldn't be good news. She waited a few minutes, then ventured out of the bedroom. When she got to the kitchen, she found her pale-skinned lover sitting at the table, pieces of a phone on the table.

"Gemstone?" she asked tentatively. Samantha's head snapped up and her pissed-off expression softened.

"Hey, Rainbow," the pale-skinned woman said. "Everything alright?"

"Not from what I heard," Ellen replied, causing the other woman to smile. The tanned woman sat down next to her lover, and reached out to gently remove what was left of the cellphone from her green-tinted hand. "Now," she added, "want to tell me what's wrong?"

Samantha did so, and held nothing back in her expletive-filled explanation. Filtering out the foul language, what she heard was enough to break her own heart. She'd heard about how happy Kim and Rebecca had been, and had even witnessed them a few times after she'd been released into Samantha's custody. Even though she'd been a hateful bitch since the incident that had originally given her her powers, she'd always been a hopeless (and unrepentent) romantic.

"Alright," Ellen said, drawing her girlfriend's brooding attention to her. "Here's the plan. You start looking for your sister, making sure that the Global Justice nerds know to filter out _your_ plasma signature."

"And what about Nerdlinger?" Samantha asked.

"I'm sure Mister Load already knew to do that the moment Ann told him Rebecca was missing," the brunette replied sardonically. "Now, while you're doing that, I'm going to head over to the Possible's and help Ann and James with Kim."

"Well, when I get my hands on that girl-" the pale-skinned woman started to growl.

"You won't do a damn thing," Ellen snapped, her cursing guaranteeing her lover's attention.

"I won't?" the raven-haired woman echoed, still surprised by the other girl's language.

"No. You damn well won't," the brunette said adamantly.

"Give me one good reason," Samantha said with a growl, crossing her arms.

"I'll do better," Ellen replied, counting off on her fingers. "One. Your _sister is missing_. Two. Kim's already got enough emotional trauma with what's going on. Admittedly, she does deserve to feel completely and utterly terrible about this, but remember what your mom had said she acted like after she'd kicked you into that tower and then got abandoned by her lifelong best friend?" Samantha winced at that. "Three. Would beating the stuffing out of someone who's already down in the gutter really make you feel better?"

"No," Samantha grudgingly admitted. "It'd be like kicking an injured puppy."

"Exactly," the brunette agreed. "And don't forget that Ann told your mom Kim hasn't said anything since those last five words, and it's been nearly half an hour now."

"I didn't even think of how Princess would be feeling about this," the raven-haired beauty confessed. "I . . . I was only focused on the fact that she'd emotionally shattered my sister." Samantha looked over at her girlfriend. "She wasn't entirely to blame, was she?"

"No, I don't think so," Ellen replied, shaking her head. "From what you told me, this 'Bonnie' girl was deliberately trying to seduce Kim, and didn't care about anything other than that. We don't know the rest of the situation, and right now we don't need to know."

"Right," the pale-skinned woman agreed. She stood up and walked into their bedroom, followed by her curious girlfriend. Ellen arrived in the room in time to see Samantha stripping her clothes off, and pulling out a somewhat familiar suit. It was obviously patterned after the plasma-wielding woman's old Team Go catsuit, but only in the fact that it was also a catsuit and was colored in black and green. The whole suit was primarly black, with lime green running up the outside of the legs up to the armpits, and lime green running from the outside of the arms up across the shoulders to the collar. There was a splash of green along the waist, almost like a belt.

"It's my new 'uniform,'" Samantha explained, noticing her girlfriend's curious expression. "Mother had it made just for me. It's thicker material than my old catsuit, and is much more plasma-resistant. It's also a lot more breathable while also providing actual ballistic protection." The pale-skinned woman slipped into the outfit and zipped it up the front. Then, also from the closet, she pulled out a pair of green and black hidden-heel boots and a pair of black gloves with green palms. Once she was dressed, she pulled her long raven-colored hair back and into a ponytail.

"Now," she said, cracking her knuckles and her neck. "You go help the Possibles; I'm going to go find my sister, no matter what it takes."

 _Somewhere_

Rebecca didn't know where she was right now, nor where she was heading. She didn't really care, either. To be honest, where she was didn't really register on her consciousness. She'd shut down completely, running on 'auto-pilot' as it were; she was emotionally numb and her mind just wasn't thinking right now, as she was too overloaded to function on a conscious level. Right now she was walking along side an empty road, all alone. She was so shutdown at the moment that she wasn't even aware it was raining, and raining hard. Her clothes were soaked all of the way through, especially the somewhat tattered and sleeveless hoodie she was wearing. The hood was up around her head, not that it provided any protection from the rain considering how soaking wet it was. She didn't even realize that she was actually shivering from the cold, which also served to mask the slight tremors in her hands and the muscles of her legs. She didn't want to think about anything at all, and refused to do so; she didn't even think about where she was going. All she cared about was getting as far as possible from where she'd been She had never, ever felt so empty and alone in her entire life. She had given the one person who had ever truly meant everything to her the one thing she possessed that was irreplaceable, only to have it shattered beyond her ability to recover from. She was aware that her mind was starting to think and tried to avoid her thoughts, but couldn't escape them. And her thoughts kept circling around and around, going from flashes of her and Kim together – laughing, cuddling, making love – to that one image burned into her conscious mind of Kim and Bonnie half-naked and intimate. Her breath hitched in her throat as she struggled to swallow her sorrow and anguish; not that it mattered, as she didn't have any tears left to cry. Not for the moment, anyway.

 _How could she?_ Rebecca asked herself. _How could she? I thought she loved me? How could she?_ Those were the questions she'd been constantly asking herself, ever since she'd left Middleton and her mind had caught up with her instincts. One other thing that had impressed itself upon her mind was that fact that she'd slapped Kim – but had extinguished her plasma before her hand made contact with her girlfriend's face. _Why do I still think of her that way?_ she asked herself, which was a new question for her (not that she was in a state to recognize that). All she could do was ask herself those same questions over and over – that, and just keep on walking her boulevard of broken dreams.

She didn't know how long it had been since she'd ran off, nor how long it had been since her thoughts had come back, but however long it had been was long enough that the sun was coming up; she hadn't even been aware of when it had gone down. As the first rays of light began touching the unnoticed landscape around her, another new thought intruded unwelcomely upon her mind: _I hope no one's stepped on Bubbles's gift._

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

It had been over eighteen hours since Rebecca had runaway, and there had been no sign of her anywhere. After she'd put a shirt on Kim and laid the girl in her bed, Ann had gone back down the stairs and saw the little blue box laying on the floor right next to the bottom. Curious, she'd picked it up and opened it – only to feel her heart break when she looked in. The older redhead had looked back up the stairs, where her daughter lay on her bed in what could only be described as a catatonic state, and shook her head. "Oh, Kim," she whispered sadly. Then she tucked the box into the pocket of her labcoat and went to the den to get on the phone. First she had to call James and tell him about what happened, then she had to let Rebecca's mothers know.

About an hour after the pale-skinned girl had vanished, there'd been a knock on the door. She opened it to find a young brunette woman there. It took the distraught redhead a moment to recognize her as Ellen Dechenes, Samantha Shaw's girlfriend (Shego had changed her real surname to her mom's maiden name after getting out of the hospital back in August). She invited the woman in. Ellen's arrival proved to beneficial to the older Possible woman, as Ann could barely hold herself together enough to make tea. When James and the twins arrived, he'd gone straight to his wife while Jim and Tim had run to check on their sister (after giving their mom a long hug first). He saw Ellen when she came out of the kitchen with tea and sandwiches, but Ann explained her presence before he could ask. James thanked the younger woman and said that if she needed to, the guest room was available for her use. When the twins came down the stairs shortly thereafter, it was obvious they were upset and dejected; neither one was talking about any kind of science scheme to do. They'd told their parents that they had promised to never make another rocket inside the house if Kim would just be okay, but they didn't get a response at all. The only sign that Kim had even still been alive was the somewhat unsteady rise and fall of the sheet covering her.

Isabella had shown up shortly after the eighteen hour mark. When Ann answered the door and saw the raven-haired woman, the first thing she recalled was the threat the woman had made. So she was surprised when Rebecca's mom had pulled her into a hug and whispered, "I'm so sorry." After that, Ann had led the other woman to the den, where they'd sat down and talked about what had happened. Mrs. Dr. Possible had admitted that most of what she knew was intuition and guess work, but that she was reasonably certain it was accurate. Isabella now understood that both girls were victims of circumstances that could have been prevented before things hit a flashpoint, but blamed neither of them. She didn't even blame Bonnie for her actions, even though the little brunette was responsible for what had happened.

"I'm . . . I'm having a hard time understanding why Kim would do this," Ann told her guest, raising a shaking hand to her mouth to sip some tea.

"I do, remember?" Isabella replied, sipping her own tea with a steadier hand. "I had a similar problem back in college. Betty and I were roommates back then, and were active lovers – _very_ active – and we were even offically dating. Wasn't easy to deal with back then, though. Not that I gave a shit; I was already well-versed in a lot of different martial arts styles and literally kicked the ass of anyone who tried to come between us. Until I met my bastard of an ex-husband. Well, now he's my ex; back then he was the first guy who seemed to show an interest in me beyond my body. It took him a while, but eventually he seduced me and we started having sex. Usually when I _knew_ for certain that Betty wasn't or wouldn't be around."

"So what happened?" James asked, setting down his paper (he hadn't been paying attention to it anyway, his mind worrying about his daughter).

"I came clean to Cyclops," the raven-haired woman told the Doctors Possible. "I told her I'd been cheating on her with Robert, and that I'd been doing so for months. I had to come clean, because I'd found out I was about a month pregnant. She didn't take it well. We spent a full semester saying absolutely nothing to each other until one day, out of the blue, she up and gave me a gift. An ankle bracelet made out of pure silver. She told me that she would always love me, even if I didn't love her. We stayed roommates, of course, even though I would spend some nights at Robert's apartment with him. We got back to being friends, though of course she really disliked him." Isabella sighed. "In the end, though, she proved to be right about him." She looked at the other two adults. "So, yeah, I know what Kim's going through, even if it's hitting her worse than it ever did me. I was lucky that fate, or destiny, or divine intervention or whatever gave me a second chance with my soulmate. I'm sure that Kim and Rebecca will get that chance, too."

"How do know that?" Ann asked.

"I don't know it; I believe it," Isabella replied. "It's all about faith, you know. They'll come through this, and be closer than ever."

"You are very optimistic," the redhead noted, a very small smile on her face.

"I went through hell before, during, and after my divorce," the other woman said bluntly. _As if she had any other way of speaking_ , Ann thought. "Then Betty found me one night and gave me hope again. I've learned that it's at the darkest moments of your life when the light shines the brightest. Sometimes, you just have to hold on and wait for that light, even if it doesn't seem like it'll come."

 _Middleton, Walker Residence_

Tara opened the door to find Bonnie standing in her doorway. She'd actually been expecting the other girl, as they'd only had intermittent contact after the brunette had started hanging around with Kim. She'd actually been stunned by the one-eighty Bonnie had pulled in regards to the redhead, and actually felt jealous of Kim. Though her best friend had always seemed oblivious to it, Tara had made no secret of her attraction to Bonnie. She just never actually said anything about it directly, since she didn't know how the brunette would react. Then, yesterday after the Walkers had had dinner, she'd gotten a call from a distraught Bonnie asking if she could come over and talk. Tara had never, _ever_ heard Bonnie sound like she did. She was immediately worried about the other girl, and said that she was to come over as soon as she could the next day, as it was rather late in the day to be coming over.

"Come with me," Tara said, pulling Bonnie along into the house. She gently guided the brunette up to her room and shut the door before leading her to the bed. She sat Bonnie down, and then sat down next to her. "Now," the blond girl said, "tell me what's wrong." Tara expected silence, or at least some hesitation or dissemblance; instead Bonnie burst into tears and just unloaded on her friend. As Bonnie started crying out what had happened, Tara pulled her into a hug and soon the brunette was crying into the blond's shoulders. Tara's mom, Heather, had come in to see if everything was alright, but backed out without saying a word when her daughter had shaken her head. After Bonnie had gotten through telling her story, Tara did the first thing she could think of: she kissed the brunette's forehead. Honestly, she wanted to kiss her on the lips, but Tara knew that Bonnie wasn't in the right state of mind for that.

"It'll be okay, Bonnie," Tara told her.

"How do you know?" Bonnie wailed. "Kim hates me, worse than before now, and it's _all my fault_!"

"I'm not gonna lie," the blond said. "It really _is_ your fault. The signs were all there that Kim wasn't interested in you, that she really did love her girlfriend, but you were so obsessed with getting the object of your affection that you ignored everything except for what you wanted. And as a result, not only did you lose Kim, but you may have just permanently cost Kim the one person she truly loved." Bonnie stared at her friend in shock, not expecting to hear those words. She was about to start crying again when Tara tightened her hug. "We can't change the past," she told Bonnie, "but we can change the future by what we do from this point forward. There's no way you can make up for what you did, Bonnie. Ever. But perhaps if you can show that you are truly, honestly repentent for your actions, maybe that could change things."

"But Kim never wants to see me again," the brunette whispered softly, fearfully.

"She's hurting right now, Bonnie," Tara reminded her. "Hurting worse than she's ever hurt, I imagine. I don't think she'll forget what she said, but she can't take it back. All she can do is what I suggested for you to do." Tara pulled back just enough for Bonnie to be able to see her face and smiled at the other girl. "And just know, Bonnie, that I'll be here for you. No matter what."

 _Florida, Chez Leisur_

It had been a week since Rebecca had disappeared, and Nana Possible was worried about both her and Kimberly. Her granddaughter hadn't actively eaten (or moved at all) since last Saturday, and there'd been no news of her little girlfriend, either. The Possible family matriarch had been told everything about the situation that was known or theorized, and knew that right now it didn't matter who was to blame or who was ultimately responsible; all that mattered was Kimberly's health and Rebecca's location. Kimberly had actually been hospitalized and hooked up to an IV that supplied her body with nutrients. Doctors, for both mental and physical health, believed that Kim had withdrawn into herself in order to avoid the crushing mental and emotional trauma she was going through. Nana Possible could've told them that, and she didn't have any of their fancy schooling and oh-so-important degrees. She knew that Kimberly was in good hands, and had turned her attention to her granddaughter's girlfriend. She'd contacted everyone she knew from her days in the military (as well as everyone else she'd met before she retired) and put the word out. She'd even provided a very detailed description of Rebecca Shaw to make sure everyone knew who to look for.

So she was beyond surprised when, a week after the girl's disappearance, Nana Possible watched her stagger and fall (and get up to repeat it all again) her way into Chez Leisur. She rushed to the girl faster than anyone would've believed a woman of her age could move, and caught her before she hit the ground again.

"Rebecca," she said to the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's here?" Rebecca asked numbly, her voice so faint and hoarse from disuse and the conditions she'd experienced that the senior citizen almost didn't quite hear it – and she did make sure that her hearing add was on.

"It doesn't matter now, dear," Nana said, gently leading the girl to her apartment. "You're with Nana Possible now. Let's get you inside and once you've rested I'll bake some lemon squares for you to have."

 **E/N:** And there's the follow up to chapter 16. Hope it makes up for what happened in the last chapter. So, yeah. Kim screwed beyond big time, there was a lack of real communication between her and Rebecca. Bonnie certainly contributed to things. Now everyone's searching for the missing girl, only for her to make her away across nearly the entire country in a week to end up at Nana Possible's.

So what happens now? Kim's pretty much catatonic and Rebecca's probably half-dead from exposure, dehydration, and hunger, so can they recover? Will things one day get better? Look for the answers in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Comatose."


	18. Chapter 18

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** This chapter is named for the song "Comatose" by Skillet. Listen to the song, and I'm sure y'all might agree that it's perfect.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 18 – Comatose**

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Ann was sitting in a chair next to her daughter's hospital bed, watching Kim just stare blankly at the ceiling above her. The redheaded teen didn't blink once, didn't turn her to look at anything around her; she didn't even respond to anyone talking to her. She was alive, though even with IVs feeding her body the nutrients she needed it would only be a matter of time before those wouldn't be enough. Ann was so afraid for her daughter right now. She knew how bad things had been when Ron had left after junior prom when her daughter had come out to him. Ann didn't care who daughter loved, or what gender they identified as, so long as she was happy. The elder redhead wasn't always the one by her daughter's side – she did have to do her job at the hospital, of course – but there was always someone there with Kim. Surprisingly, even Samantha (once the villainess known as Shego) sat with the redheaded teen hero, though she was still searching hard for her missing sister.

"Oh, Kimmie," Ann whispered, brushing a stray hair off of her daughter's forehead. "Please come back to us. Please."

 _What no one knew was that Kim had indeed withdrawn into herself. Her mind was trying to protect itself from the overwhelming emotions it had been swarmed with after Rebecca's appearance in her room. The fear, pain, guilt, self-loathing . . . it had all been too much. So Kim's consciousness had pulled back, hiding away until the teen was ready to deal with everything. If ever. This withdrawal was represented in the outside world as a catatonic state; in her mind, it was represented by Kim sitting in a corner of her room, knees drawn up to her chin, arms wrapped around her legs, silent tears streaming down her face as she slowly rocked back and forth. The colors of her room were muted to almost being from a black-and-white movie or show, while Kim (in here, of course) represented herself as being differing shades of gray. Her normally volumous hair was now laying flat and limply on her, and her clothes seemed to hang off of her normally athletic frame. Most of the room was out of focus to her, especially some of the pictures on the wall, and the one on the nightstand next to the head of the bed._

 _"Why did I do it?" she asked herself._

 _'Maybe because you wanted to,' she heard a voice similar to her own answer, the words echoing around the muted room._

 _"I-I didn't," she stuttered, but even that denial was nothing more than the words themselves._

 _'Really? The kiss could possibly be explained that way, Kim,' the echoing voice replied, 'but not what followed. You could've denied her, should've denied her. Especially when she reached and cupped your breast. But you didn't. You wanted it.'_

 _"No," she mumbled, not wanting to face the truth._

 _'You can't hide the truth from me, Kim. After all I_ am _you. I suppose you could call me your conscience, though since a conscience is supposed to guide a person on the right path, I don't think you'll want to be around me. Because guess what? I'm really, really pissed at you right now.'_

 _"I didn't do anything wrong," Kim listlessly protested. "It was . . . i-it was just a moment of weakness."_

 _'You're an idiot. I was warning you this whole time, triggering every one of your instincts about that girl, and you ignored me._ Rebecca _, the woman you love, warned you constantly.' Conscience-Kim snorted. 'You're supposed to love her, supposed to be in love with her, but instead of listening to her concerns and talking them out, you just denied them and ended up creating a rift between the two of you.'_

 _"But-"_

 _'Wake up and open your eyes, Possible.' Kim watched as a healthier-looking, vibrantly-colored (compared to the current surroundings) version of herself seemed to shimmer into existence in front of her. The sneering expression on her double's face made her think of Shego. 'Thinking of another girl to betray your soulmate with, I see,' Conscience-Kim said disgustedly._

 _"I wouldn't-"_

 _'-stop from ruining another relationship?' the other Kim interruped. 'No, you wouldn't. Samantha's already got someone she loves with all of her heart and soul, so I'm sure that's tempting to you.'_

 _"But I didn't-"_

 _'-think of anyone but yourself?' she was interrupted again. 'Believe me, I know. You know why you're here, in this place?' The Conscience-Kim gestured around, drawing Real-Kim's attention to the muted and out of focus room. 'It's because you don't want to face the truth. You screwed up big time. And for what? A moment of pleasure?'_

 _"Stop doing this to me," Real-Kim whispered, the tears falling from her eyes faster._

 _'I can't. Remember, I'm really just the part of you that doesn't put up with bullshit. I'm just a part of your mind, so in reality you're arguing with yourself inside your own head.' Conscience-Kim walked over to the nightstand and grabbed the picture off of it, then came back and thrust into Real-Kim's face. The photo finally came into focus, and it was of Kim and Rebecca at the mall, from about halfway through the summer. Kim was wearing a baby blue blouse and white capris, while Rebecca was wearing a dark red sleeveless button-up and black baggy shorts. Memories of that day filtered into the room, overlaying everything like a see-through movie. The laughter and love found in those memories mocked her, mocked the deliberate blindness she'd subjected herself to. 'So you do remember this,' Conscience-Kim said. 'You know how true and loyal Rebecca is. You know that she is always honest with you. And yet you let your desire to help people, to be the hero, come between the two of you. Bonnie was being nice, and was genuine in her desire to change and be a better person, and you let that blind you to the fact that she had ulterior motives. This is_ exactly _like what happened with the Erik synthodrone. Remember that? Drakken used_ him _to distract you and play your emotions and you willingly fell into it because_ he _was so perfect for you. Hello! That should've been clue number_ one _that things weren't right._ No one _on earth is perfect. Every human has faults and imperfections. This time, though, Bonnie was_ both _the distraction_ and _the threat. She used your helpful and 'giving second chances' nature to distract you so she could move in on you.'_

 _"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," Real-Kim whispered, the memories flashing over the room changing now to_ that day _. "I never wanted to hurt Rebecca."_

 _'That is true. But by doing something so selfish, something that was only possible because of your willing blindness, you've hurt her far worse than anything ever could have. You saw it in her eyes. You literally watched as her heart shattered into pieces. You're lucky she only chose to slap your face, and even luckier that she instinctively shut off her plasma when she did.'_

 _"She didn't . . . she didn't do that on purpose?" Real-Kim asked, looking up at Conscience-Kim._

 _'Are you kidding?' the other asked incredulously. 'She wasn't in any condition to think properly after what she'd seen. It does say that there is hope, though.'_

 _"How can there by any hope for us, for me, after what I did to her?"_

 _'Finally ready to admit things?'_

 _"If you really are just a part of my mind, then I already did. I just had to realize it."_

 _"Now you're getting it,' Conscience-Kim said, smiling. The flood of memories began fading away as the room began brightening and color began returning to Real-Kim. 'And, yes, there is hope. Rebecca only slapped you, after all. Granted, it was with every ounce of strength she possessed and could've broken your jaw if it'd been a fist, but she didn't use her plasma. That would've hurt like hell, and could've killed you if it'd been as hot as her anger and pain were. But she didn't. Her instincts caused her to extinguish her plasma_ before _her hand hit your face. That shows that still loves you,_ in spite of what you did to her _.'_

 _"I've got to make it up to her," Real-Kim said, standing up – though she needed help from her mental double to make it all the way to her feet. "I don't know if we'll ever be together again, but I_ have _to show her how sorry I am, that it was all my fault. And whatever happens after that, I'll accept it."_

 _'No matter what?'_

 _"If she accepts my apology, but still can't forgive me and leaves me," Real-Kim replied, "then I'll accept it. It kill me each and every day after, of course, but I would deserve it."_

 _'Good. Then I think it's time we woke up.'_

Slowly, ever so slowly, her surroundings came into focus. She quickly shut her eyes as she found herself staring directly into a light in the ceiling. As she carefully opened her eyes again, she recognized what ceiling she was staring at and knew where she was. She was at a hospital again. A frown came onto her face; the last memory she had was of being in her room, watching Rebecca run away. As she became more aware of her surroundings, Kim also became aware of a weight on her lap. Tilting her head down, she saw a mass of red hair.

"M-om?" she croaked, her voice sounding cracked and drier than autumn leaves. Ann Possible jerked up so fast that she nearly fell out of her chair. She turned a wide-eyed gaze onto her daughter, and saw the younger redhead looking at her through half-closed eyes. The life that had been missing from them for a week was slowly coming back into them.

"K-Ki-Kimmie?" Ann stuttered, hope coming into her eyes. Her daughter tried to smile, but could barely do so; however, that was enough for her mom. Crying now with joy, she carefully leaned over and hugged her daughter. "Oh, God, Kimmie!" she sobbed. "I was so worried, so scared! Rebecca's gone, and no one's been able to find her! And then . . . and then you just . . . just faded away."

"S-orry," Kim said to say. It seemed to take a lot of her effort for her to speak, so Ann put a finger on her lips.

"Don't worry about it now," she told her, smiling. "You're back, and right now that's all that matters."

 _Florida, Chez Leisur_

Nana Possible stared at the young woman sleeping on her couch. She'd given the girl a bath and changed her into some spare clothes that Kimberly had left there during a past visit, then helped her to the couch where the teenager had quickly fallen to sleep. Rebecca, Nana saw, didn't look healthy. She looked like she hadn't eaten in a week (she hadn't) nor gotten any sleep or rest (also true). _She looks like hell_ , the Possible matriarch thought, staring sadly at the ivory-toned girl. While she didn't believe in homosexual relationships herself, she knew that what other people did was none of her business. Rebecca and Kim made each other happy, and that's all that mattered to her. Only now it looked like Kimberly had messed that up with what she'd done. She knew that her family could be extremely stubborn, but couldn't understand how her granddaughter could so willingly blind herself. _I suppose I'll find out once Kimberly's in a condition to explain everything_ , Nana thought. Now she'd taken care of Rebecca, and gotten her lemon squares baking, it was time to call Bertha's daughter and let her know about Rebecca. Before she could get to the phone, though, it started ringing. Upon reaching it, she picked it up and said, "Hello?"

 _"Nana,"_ came the voice of her daughter-in-law.

"Ann, dear!" Nana said happily. "It's good to hear from you again. How's little Kimberly Ann doing?"

 _"She's awake now,"_ Ann replied. _"She can't speak much right now, just one or two words every now and then, but she's . . . she's back."_

"That's great news, dear," the senior woman said, letting happiness fill her voice. "I hope you all will come to visit when she's well enough."

 _"We'll have to see, Nana."_

"Of course, dear, of course," Nana agreed. "I do have some news I need you to tell little Betty."

There was a pause on the line. _"You know where Rebecca is,"_ Ann said. It wasn't a question.

"I do," she confirmed. "But I want to make it clear to you, and I need you to do the same for Betty, that right now that poor child is no condition for anything. She seems half-starved, beyond exhausted, and looks like she walked all the way here without stopping."

 _"Betty is going to want to come see her, Nana,"_ the redhead replied.

"Then she's going to have to wait until her daughter is well enough to handle being interrogated," her mother-in-law said bluntly. "The poor girl needs to build up her strength and get healthy again before she's ready for any questions. I can't imagine what the poor dear was going through, mentally, so she really doesn't need any more stress on her right now."

 _"Yes, Nana,"_ Ann agreed. _"But it won't be easy to convince Betty and Isabella to not immediately head down there."_

"Then I'll just have to have Bertha talk to her daughter," Nana Possible said sweetly.

 _"We'll try for a weekend visit in a couple of weeks,"_ Ann replied. _"Kim might be physically well enough to travel that far by then. But only for a weekend; she still has school."_

"Of course, Ann. Give Kimberly Ann my best." After a few more pleasantries, the two women disconnected and Nana Possible went to check on her lemon squares before seeing how her guest was doing. Rebecca was still dead asleep, and her normally ivory-toned skin was looking a bit waxen. Plus, the senior citizen noticed that her limbs seemed to be having involuntary and uncontrollable muscle spasms. She also saw that tears were running down the girl's face and couldn't help but feel sad for the girl. She'd given her heart to someone and then had it badly broken. Nana knew that Kimberly wouldn't have intentionally hurt someone like that, but she still held her granddaughter responsible for what had happened. Both girls were actually responsible for their situation, but neither of them were ready for facing each other.

A few hours later, Rebecca finally stirred. As consciousness slowly returned to her, she realized that she was on someone's couch. Before her mind could begin putting things together, she heard someone say, "Oh, good, you're finally awake." Sitting up, the red/black-haired teen rubbed her eyes and looked around, her still somewhat blurry vision falling upon the speaker.

"Nana?" she mumbled in confusion.

"Yes, dear," the old woman said kindly.

"Why am I here?" Rebecca asked, still very much confused. "How . . . how did I even get here?"

"Dear, I'm pretty sure you walked all the way here," Nana told her.

"I did? But . . . but the last thing I remember was being in Middleton."

"It's been a week since you ran away, Rebecca." The teen's eyes widened to the size of teacup plates (or seemed to). Nana added, "It's true, dear. You've been missing for a whole week, and no one's been able to find you."

"I ran away," Rebecca said quietly.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Kim's grandmother asked gently.

"It still hurts so much," the teen replied, as the memories of what happened flooded through her conscious mind. And now that she was consciously aware of what had happened, the pain ripped her up again and she started sobbing hard. Without being aware of how it had happened, Rebecca found herself in Nana Possible's arms.

"Just let it all out, dear," the woman said. "Bottling up your pain and hurt will only make it worse."

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice HQ_

Betty burst into tears of relief when she learned that her daughter was safe and sound. She wasn't too happy about being forbidden from grabbing her wife and immediately heading to Florida, but the threat of her mother getting involved was enough to keep the two of them put. And after getting over their initial emotional state, the two women realized that Nana Possible was right. If Rebecca had indeed made her way completely on foot from Middleton, Colorado to Chez Lesuir, Florida, then she was definitely in no shape for any kind of confrontation; no matter whether it was joyous or not.

"I can't believe _you_ are actually listening to Kim's grandmother," Betty told her wife as they sat down for lunch.

"Are you kidding?" Isabella replied, looking at her wife as though she was crazy. "I may be a world-class martial artist and a brilliant scientist, but I am in no way insane enough to against either Nana Possible or _your_ mother."

"Scared?" the one-eyed brunette teased.

"Hell yeah," the raven-haired woman admitted. "Nana Possible may be old but that doesn't make her a pushover as a martial artist. And your mother is just plain scary when she gives you The Look."

"I forgot about that," Betty sreplied with a shudder, remembering the last time she'd gotten The Look. She hadn't been able to sleep for two weeks, and she'd been _thirty years old_ at that time.

"When should we tell Samantha and Ellen about this?" Isabella asked, eating her curry.

"Probably as soon as we possibly can," her wife said. "She would be extremely pissed if she found out on her own, and then found out that we knew about it and didn't tell her."

"She and Rebecca have become so close over the past month and a half," the raven-haired woman said, her joy at that unable to be hidden.

"And if she ignores us and tries to go to Florida anyway?" the brunette asked.

"Not worry about it," was the reply. Betty nearly choked on her Pad Thai.

"Say what?" she said once she'd managed not to choke.

"Ellen will keep her put," Isabella explained. "What worries me is the relative silence of all of those villains and organizations that Team Possible usually handles."

"That has me worried, too," Betty agreed. "I know there's no way any of them could've learned that Kim was incapacitated. If they had, they would've gone nuts with plans and schemes. And I know that they didn't all decided to take vacations all at once. Many have busted out of prison during this week, but there have been no signs of any activity."

"And what about Monkey Fist and Ronald?"

"Apparently, Mister Stoppable somehow managed to trip over the location of the second piece of the Blessing of Sun Wukong. It's called the Monkey's Heart, and is some kind of chest plate that grants the wearer increased stamina and agility – supernaturally increased," Betty explained.

"And the last piece?" Isabella asked.

"According to Mister Load, the last piece is called the Monkey's Wisdom and grants whoever wears it the ability to read their opponent's body language, no matter what, and almost precognitive ability to see the immediate future."

"And all of them at once would make a person invincible," the raven-haired woman whispered.

"Essentially, yes. Super strength and durability, increased stamina and agility, and topped with an ability to anticipate both an opponent and the immediate future . . ." Betty's voice trailed off.

"You've got to bring in Stoppable," Isabella said in a no-nonsense, sharp-edged tone. "Get him, back track his calls to find Monkey Fist's location, and take him down hard."

"That's extreme, even for you, Kitten."

"No choice, Cyclops. There'll be no stopping that guy if he gets the Monkey's Wisdom. Because of his stupid little obsession with Rebecca's girlfriend and his misguided belief that she _belongs_ to him, that little asshole may have just doomed the world."

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Kim was actually asleep for the first time in seven days, and Samantha was actually relieved about that. She was still angry with her former rival for what the girl had done to her sister, but didn't place all of the responsibility on the redhead. A good bit of it, yes, but not all of it. She'd come into the room about an hour ago to give the teen's mom a chance to get some food and rest. The older redhead really needed it, considering how much sleep she herself had gotten (or, rather _not_ gotten). The pale-skinned woman reached over and adjusted Kim's arm so that it wasn't tugging on the IVs still in her arm. Though she'd actually tried to eat real food instead of depending on the IV-fed nutrients, a week without eating actual food limited her to soft foods right now (like yogurt, pudding, hot cereal, things like that).

"Come on, Princess," Samantha said, setting her hand on the railing of Kim's hospital bed. "Get back into shape so I can kick your ass for what you did to my sister. I promise, this time, to not break any of your bones." She smiled at the still unconscious redhead. "We found out that when Rebecca ran away from your house, she'd made her way to your Nana's home. I'm surprised it took her a week to get there; she must have really been out of sorts to take _that_ long to get there." The raven-haired woman shook her head. "You two must really be soulmates, Kimmie. She could've killed you that day. Hell, if it'd been me I probably _would_ have killed you. And then Ellen and my moms would've killed me. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really hope that things can get patched up between you and Rebecca, Kim. You don't really deserve a second chance with her after what you did, but knowing Rebecca she'll want to give you one. She loves you that much."

"Too bad she'll never get the chance to take my girlfriend away again," a familiar voice said from behind her. Her hands lighting up with plasma and a snarl escaping her mouth, Samantha began to stand and started to turn so she could face him, but she'd barely gotten out of the chair when a she felt something slam into the back of her neck, just below the base of her skull. Her plasma flickered out, then her eyes rolled up into her head. She collapsed back into the chair; however, since she'd already been out of the chair when she lost consciousness, falling back into the chair at an angle. Samantha wasn't aware of falling into the chair, nor was she aware of her head striking the corner of the nurse station in the room, which caused her head to bounce off of it and into Kim's hospital bed. The pale-skinned woman then sagged the rest of the way to the floor and fell over onto her side. Unconscious and bleeding, she didn't see her blond assailant step over her body and unhook the redhead from everything, didn't hear the alert going off when the system stopped registering Kim's pulse, and didn't see Ron Stoppable slip out of the room's window a full minute before anyone came into the room and discovered the patient missing – and a new one waiting.

 _Florida, Chez Leisur_

After crying out all of her pain and hurt, Rebecca managed to tell Nana Possible (in halting words as she tried to breathe normally again) everything that had happened. It was a somewhat long tale, so the Possible matriach stopped her for a moment to bring in some tea and two trays of lemon squares. Then she bade the girl to continue her story. As Rebecca relayed what the tale, Nana couldn't believe how foolish both girls had been. She did feel more respect for the child before her when Rebecca said how she'd gone and bought a gift for Kim to try to start smoothing things out between them, then nearly had a stroke when Rebecca told her what the girl had walked in on. For a second, she had an impulse to go to Middleton, pull Kimberly over her lap, and give the girl a sound spanking. She felt a good amount of admiration for Rebecca when she learned that she only slapped Kimberly; she knew that the ivory-toned teen was fully capable of killing a person as far as ability went, and the amount of restraint she'd shown would've impressed even the Dali Lama. Right as Rebecca finished her story, the phone rang.

"I'll be right back, Rebecca," Nana said. The red/black-haired girl nodded, and ate a bit of her twelth lemon square. "Hello?" Nana asked after she'd picked up the phone.

 _"It's . . it's Ann,"_ her daughter-in-law sobbed over the line.

"Ann, what's wrong?" the older woman asked, very concerned now. Rebecca was close enough to hear her host's side of the conversation, and could even hear the voice of Kim's mom, considering how loud the woman was speaking.

 _"Kim's gone!"_ Ann wailed. Rebecca wasn't sure she heard right, since Nana had explained to her (during her story) that Kim had had to be hospitalized during the last week and just woken up earlier that day.

"What do you mean Kimberly's gone?" Nana asked. Rebecca felt as though her heart had stopped right then, and her tea and lemon square slipped from suddenly numb hands.

 _"Someone kidnapped her from her hospital room!"_ the redhead cried. _"Samantha was there watching her, but . . . she's in a bad way, Nana."_

"How bad is Samantha hurt?" Rebecca couldn't breathe now; someone had kidnapped her girlfriend from the hospital and hurt her sister?

 _"She has a bad head injury, and at least a mild concussion. Because of her powers, her body is already healing, but I'm not certain about her mind. The swelling isn't going down as fast as it should, even taking into account her supercharged healing ability."_

"Just stay calm, dear," Nana said gently, trying to calm down the panic-striken woman. "I'm sure that Betty knows, and is doing everything she can to find your daughter. You need to do everything you can to help hers. Just take a deep breath and calm down."

 _"You're right, Nana,"_ Ann agreed.

"Do you know who took her?" Nana asked. _Ron_ , Rebecca thought with low growl, both mental and audible.

 _"There was no clue left behind, but I think Betty has an idea of who might have done it."_

Before Nana Possible could speak, she heard the sound of her front door banging open. She quickly turned around and saw the empty couch, as well as the mess now on her carpet.

"Ann, we might have another problem," the Possible matriarch said.

 _"What? What happened?"_ Ann asked.

"I believe that Rebecca may have overheard our conversation."

 _"Oh, God. Then you mean-"_

"She's gone after Kimberly Ann."

 **E/N:** And that's chapter 18. Kim has come out of her catatonic state, but can barely speak or eat now. Rebecca was resting at Chez Leisur with Nana Possible, and Kim had a conversation with herself about what had happened a week ago. And now Ron has kidnapped Kim from her hospital room, injuring Samantha in the process, and now Rebecca's vanished.

Will Monkey Fist find the last piece of the Blessing of Sun Wukong? Will Samantha be alright? And what will happen with Rebecca now? Just going to have find out by reading the next chapter of Red Flame, "Mystical Power Smackdown."


	19. Chapter 19

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** I listened to a lot of Evanescence and Within Temptation while writing this chapter. Even listened to the RWBY Volume Two soundtrack.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 19 – Mystical Power Smackdown**

 _Pacific Ocean, Global Justice HQ_

"When I catch up to that girl I am going to yank her into the gym and kick her ass until she can't even _think_ about _sitting_ up, much less standing!" Isabella shouted, storming into the apartment and heading straight for the bedroom, Betty right behind her. At least until Isabella went into the bedroom and then shut and locked the door.

"Kitten, just think about this," the one-eyed brunette pleaded.

"I have! I'm going to hunt her down, kick the ass of whoever's kidnapped her girlfriend, get them both back home and back to health, _then I'm going to kick Rebecca's ass!_ "

"You don't even know where to start, Isabella," Betty said, starting to lose her patience.

"Don't pull that 'Isabella' crap with me, damnit!" the raven-haired woman shouted back through the locked door. Betty could hear things being tossed around in there, and wondered what her wife was looking for. She didn't wonder for too much longer as she heard the other woman shout triumphantly, "There you are, you piece of crap!"

"Izzy, just think about this for more than a second," the brunette begged her.

"Only my mom calls me 'Izzy,' Betts!" came the expected response.

"And just think about what she'd do if she found out what you're going to do!"

"Why do you think _I'm_ trying to get to it _before_ she finds?!" Isabella asked rhetorically; she didn't need an answer, because one wasn't really required. Betty winced as she remembered what had happened to a guy who made the mistake of insulting Isabella's sexuality in her mom's presence.

"You still can't just go off like this," Betty told her. "You're not a Global Justice field agent; hell, you're not even a reserve agent!"

"You think that's going to stop me?" the raven-haired woman said as she opened the door. Betty couldn't come up with a response because her mind stopped working the moment she saw her wife. The still fit, shapely, and curvaceous woman was clad in a skin-hugging jumpsuit that left nothing to the imagination (in spite of the fact that it didn't expose any skin from the neck-down). It was a green so dark it was almost black, and only the greenish tint differentiated it from the black patches surrounding the forearms, thighs, and back.

"When did you get _that_?" Betty asked, finally finding her voice.

"Developed it myself," Isabella admitted. "How do you think I helped train Rebecca with her plasma powers?"

"I don't remember _that_ suit being used at all!" the brunette exclaimed.

"That's because I've been developing this over the years, refining everything," the raven-haired woman replied. "And it's not technology-based; it's bio-tech."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, brickhead, that this is a Mark Three Bio-Plasma Generating Battle Suit," Isabella explained. "Not quite up to par with little Kim's super-tech battle suit, but it can generate the same kind of plasma that Rebecca and Samantha do, using a still very experimental bio-genetic . . . battery, I suppose you could call it. It has a limited charge, of course; it's only good for about an hour of general use, or about fifteen minutes of maximum power use. Doesn't have the same flexibility as the girls' powers, but it allows for the generation of plasma fields around the forearms and can even shoot of limited plasma blasts." She smiled sheepishly just then. "Sorry I don't have one for you, Cyclops; it was all I could do to develop this one."

"Well, you were working in secret," her wife said. "Though _why_ would you create this suit in the first place?"

"It's actually an off-shoot of Project Firefly," the raven-haired woman said. "I didn't want Rebecca to end up getting exploited by our superiors in the UN, and I'm having some . . . suspicions about some of our colleagues. I started creating this suit as a way to give Global Justice the 'anti-supervillain' capability it wanted, though Doctor Ima G. Enius's project provided the perfect cover for my actions. Though his technology-based Plasma Mechanized Suits aren't as great as he thinks they are."

"You don't trust me?" Betty asked, feeling hurt. Isabella walked up to her and enfolded her wife into a hug that included a passionate, tongue-filled kiss. When she pulled back, she smiled at her wife.

"I trust you more than anyone else in this world," the pale-skinned woman replied. "Now, I'm going to go save our daughter. Want to come along?"

"It'll be almost the same as our fifth wedding anniversary," the brunette agreed wistfully. "Let me change into something a little more badass." As Betty went into the bedroom to change into a less 'desk jockey' suit, Isabella began to hope that they could actually get to their daughter in time. Because if she didn't get herself killed being in the physical condition she was in, then her still fragile emotional state would make her snap. Especially since her heart still belonged to the same girl that had shattered it. She'd never been hurt as badly as her daughter had, and only hoped that she wouldn't do anything that would haunt her.

 _Middleton, Load Residence_

When Wade had gotten the call from Rebecca, he was hesitant to assist her because he knew the condition she was in, mentally and physically; he'd listened on the phone conversations with Nana Possible. But he did agree to help her, and not because she threatened him. She actually didn't; she'd begged him. She'd pointed out that Kim was still suffering from nutritional deficiency. When Wade tried to point out that she was going through the same thing, Rebecca had retorted that Kim didn't have a plasma-boosted body. Knowing that Rebecca would only go on her own and probably get herself killed in the process if he didn't help, so he got her a ride to his place. And he'd sent a drone to Kim's home to pick up something he knew that the ivory-toned girl would need, whether she realized it or not. That had been about twenty minutes ago, which meant that Rebecca would be arriving-

There was a knock on his bedroom door. _Now_ , he thought turning around as the door opened and Rebecca walked in.

"Do you know where she is?" the plasma-powered teen tried to demand forcefully, but her hoarse voice and general physical condition just made her sound tired and worn out.

"The Colorado Rockies," he immediately, taken aback by how the girl actually sounded in person. "One of Drakken's old lairs, since Ron's familiar with the locations of a couple in that area. I already have your battle suit ready."

"You got it from Kim's?" the red/black-haired girl asked.

"No, I developed a new one. Same style and pattern as the first one, but upgraded with an experimental medical pack with automatic injection for a variety of compounds from adrenaline boosts to neural anesthesia." At her blank expression he added, "It's a liquid compound that deliberately targest and coats nerves that are experiencing severe distress. It's intended to soothe them and remove the pain itself, while leaving them undamaged. Theoretically. Remember, this is all experimental. I wasn't intending to add this into a battle suit for either of you until I'd fully tested it, but . . . this situation calls for whatever I can give you."

"Thanks, Wade," Rebecca said, giving him a small smile. "I'll go change now, then. Gotta get to the Rockies as fast as possible."

"Your battle suit's in the closet over there," the super genius said, pointing. "And I disabled all monitoring devices in there, so I won't be watching." The older teen smiled and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder in gratitude before going to change. As she stripped out of her clothes, something white fell out of one of her pockets. She knew that she was wearing a spare set of Kim's clothes, not her own, so she didn't know what it could be. Reaching down, she picked it up and unfolded it. Her eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped open. It was the receipt for what she'd gotten for Kim. It had been _her_ pants, but she wasn't wearing those. She could only assume that Nana Possible had put it in the pants she'd loaned her. Seeing it brought back the memories of that day with a rush, making her gasp. She struggled to calm herself back down. What happened then didn't matter anymore; Kim _needed_ her. Looking at the paper again, she noticed that her arm was shaking very noticeably. _It's gotta be the fact that I haven't really eaten anything besides Nana's lemon squares for a week_ , she thought. Sighing, she set the receipt back on the floor and finished stripping her clothes off, then slipped into the battle suit. It definitely felt a bit heavier than her first one, but she liked the fact that it was primarily a dark, almost blood red color with thicker patches of black in select locations. Zipping the suit up, she hesitated for a moment before grabbing the scrap of paper and slipping it into a pocket that opened up on the suit. When she stepped out of the closet, Wade nodded in approval.

"I'll be monitoring you, okay?" he said.

"That'll be fine," she replied. "I appreciate it, Wade."

"I, um, picked up something for you," the genius said. "Not sure if you'd want it now or not." Then he held out a blue box. Rebecca felt her heart stop. It was the exact same box that contained the gift she'd bought to help her apologize to Kim. "Considering what happened between the two of you-"

"Thank you," Rebecca whispered, taking the box from him. She looked down at it before looking the younger boy in the eyes. "In spite of how much she's hurt me, in spite of the fact that I don't know if things will ever be okay between us again, I still love Kim Possible."

"I know," Wade agreed. "That's why I'm helping you instead of sedating you." He took a deep breath and let it out. "Just so you know, your moms are coming after you, as is your sister. I'm certain I'll be getting a call from Doctor Director asking for information, and I won't be able to stall them for long. Over in the corner near the door is a new jetpack backpack I was developing. It should you get to Ron's location before anyone else. Just promise me one thing, Rebecca."

"If it's within my ability to do, I will," she replied.

"Be true to yourself."

She nodded, and left.

 _Colorado Rockies, Drakken's Abandoned Lair_

When Kim woke up again, she felt a lot more comfortable than she had when she fell asleep. And the constant beeping of the equipment that monitored her was absent, too. As weakened as she was, those two things snapped her fully awake. She barely had time to look around before someone came into her field of vision.

"Glad you're awake, KP," Ron said, smiling at her.

"R-on?" she croaked hoarsely, confused. Ron hadn't said much to her since his mysterious reappearance, and now he was here? In fact, where was she at?

"You don't need to worry anymore, Kim," he told her, still smiling. "I'll keep you safe."

"Sa-afe?" she questioned.

"Well, yeah. It's what I'm supposed to do as your boyfriend," he replied.

"No m-ore," she managed to get out. A look of anger flashed across the blond's face.

"You just don't know what you're talking about, KP," Ron said, still trying to be friendly. "You . . . weren't yourself when you told me that we were through. After all, you're Kim Possible; you can't be gay."

"I . . . am," Kim replied, her own anger building but her throat preventing from giving vent to it. Ron's friendly demeanor vanished.

"No you're not," he said, his voice threatening. "You're _my_ girlfriend, and I won't let anyone else have you." Kim didn't bother to dignify that with words. Instead, she lifted up her right hand and made a fist with it, but left her middle finger extended.

"It doesn't matter what you think, KP," he told her, straightening up. "I've taken you to one of Drakken's old lairs. So even if someone finds where we're at, they'll have to deal with Drakken's booby-traps."

"Re-bec-ca," she croaked out. "G-et you."

"Like hell she will," the blond snarled. "You see, I happen to know that she abandoned you. The week that you werent' there, I overheard Bonnie telling Tara what had happened. So I know what you did. Or, rather, what that bitch who stole you from me made you do." He smirked. "Besides, even if she did try to come for you, she'd have to face a bunch of monkey ninjas and Monkey Fist himself. And if by some miracle she managed that, I'd take her down. Permanently."

"Vill-ain," Kim said, her eyes narrowing in a vicious glare. "You."

"I'm not the villain here, Kim! _She_ is!"

"Go," the redhead told him, closing her eyes. "Ha-te you."

Ron was about to say something back to her when there was a somewhat distant explosion and alarms began going off. With a final, venomous look at Kim, Ron left the room. A few tears fell from her eyes. She'd actually been bluffing about Rebecca coming for her; after what she'd done to the love of her life, she didn't really believe that the other girl would even want to see her again, much less rescue her.

Rebecca was pissed. She'd followed Wade's directions, which had been uploaded into the kimmunicator that was built into her new battle suit's left forearm, to the lair where Ron had taken Kim. En route, he'd updated her on the situation; specifically, that Ron had teamed up with Monkey Fist. She immediately figured out why the villain would've done that. After all, she'd proven to the so-called Monkey Master that she was his superior in Tai Shing Pek Kwar, and she was dating Kim Possible. So she knew that Monkey Fist would've been able to get at least one (and knowing Ron's luck, probably two) of the pieces of the Blessing of Sun Wukong. That might give the villain an edge over her, especially if he tapped into his Mystical Monkey Powers. She still had to contend with that when she dealt with Ron, but she was confident she could take him down. After all, she'd been instructed for a few extremely intensive months by Master Sensei himself, so she knew what Ron was capable of. The only wild card would be _his_ Mystical Monkey Power. As she came upon the lair, she dove down straight at it, picking up speed. A couple hundred yards from its hidden exterior, she locked the jetpack on and then detached it from her battle suit. Bringing her arms and legs together then snapping them out fast, she engaged the battle suit's glide mode as the jetpack rocketed ahead. It slammed into the side of the mountain with more explosive force than she was expecting, but it had punched through the outer layer of ground surrounding the lair. Then another, larger explosion blossomed from the side of the mountain, the shockwave almost collapsing the nano-thin wings of the glide mode. Rebecca flared out to bleed of her velocity, then disengaged the glide mode and dropped through the hole into the lair.

Once inside, she found herself contending with monkey ninjas, but dropping a dozen with a scatter burst of plasma blasts made them all retreat. She recognized the layout of this particular lair, and easily avoided or circumvented the booby-traps until she came to the lair's control room, where she found Monkey Fist waiting for her.

"Couldn't wait for another smackdown, could you?" Rebecca asked him as she strode forward.

"I have your measure now, child," the cultured villain replied. "You won't find me so lenient this time!"

"Oh, is that what we're calling 'being a loser' now?" she retorted, infuriating the Monkey Kung Fu master.

"I may only have two parts of the Blessing of Sun Wukong, but that'll be more than enough to deal with you," he snarled.

"I'm not going to give you the chance," the ivory-toned girl said as he reached for the Monkey's Fist (he was already wearing the Monkey's Heart). She snap-fired a plasma burst at the two gauntlets, sending the flying into the air.

"No!" he shrieked, using his monkey-like agility to scramble after them. But Rebecca didn't give him a chance to get them; she snap-fired more plasma and managed to make the gauntlets ricochet around until she snagged them out of the air. Then she slipped them on and immediately felt a surge of energy run through her.

"Return those to me!" Monkey Fist screamed at her.

"Make me!" she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. With an incoherent shriek, he charged at her in classic Tai Shing Pek Kwar move. The Monkey's Heart gave Monkey Fist supernatural stamina and agility, but that came up against the supernatural strength and speed Rebecca was given by the Monkey's Fist. She easily and readily shifted between not just the Tai Shing Pek Kwar styles she knew, but alternated with other Eastern arts and even mixed them all up. Monkey Fist might be able to take more hits now and possibly outlast her in a fight, but he was only looking to defeat her; she was looking to do some serious damage. She slipped underneath a Stone Monkey Style punch, then buried her left fist into Monkey Fist's side. At the instant of impact she unleashed a burst of compressed plasma that rocketed the martial artist away. He managed to use his inherent monkey-like agility and the enhanced agility provided by the Monkey's Heart to recover and land.

"That was not very honorable," Monkey Fist said, glaring at her.

"Ask me if I care," she growled, letting her anger rise. Her eyes flared a brighter orange, and she tapped into the power of the Monkey's Fist. Using the speed it gave her, she began firing off plasma blasts from her fists as fast as she possibly could now, but in such a way that they acted like shotgun shells. And she didn't stay immobile, either; she moved into melee range without pausing in her 'burst-fire' attack, forcing Monkey Fist to rely far more upon the Monkey's Heart than his own offense or defense. She punched a super-fast double burst-fire into the floor, rocketing her into the air. Flipping over, she began raining blasts upon the area from above. The monkey-themed villain jumped into the air at her as she landed, but she spun around and brought a fist up into a rising powerhouse uppercut right into the man's jaw; and at the instant of contact she unleashed a burst-fire, sending him rising back into the air. Another double burst-fire into the floor sent her arcing towards him but at a higher level. As they both reached the heights of their arcs, Rebecca drew back her right arm and channeled far more plasma into her fist than she'd done before. Then she punched forward and unleashed the supercharged, highly compressed plasma in a 'super burst-fire' whose explosion actually sent shockwaves in all directions throughout the lair. Monkey Fist hurtled into the floor at a surprising speed, cratering it and undoubtedly causing him to fracture or even break a few ribs. Rebecca compounded that damage by landing with her full weight upon one of his arms. His shrill scream of pain also echoed throughout the lair, drowning out the sound of bones snapping like too-dry twigs. Before he could recover, she lashed out with a kick into the side of his head that could've snapped his neck if she'd applied just a bit more force.

"If I wasn't my mothers' daughter," she said softly, staring down at the beaten and broken villain, "I'd've just killed you."

"How the hell did _you_ get here?!" she heard from behind her. Turning around, Rebecca felt her fury ignite to supernova levels when she saw Ron Stoppable standing here.

"I booked the all-expenses paid Rocky Mountain vacation package," she quipped disdainfully. "It was pricey, but it included two free workouts."

"You're not going to take Kim away from me again!" he shouted at her, dropping into a Tai Shing Pek Kwar stance.

"That's what this is all about? Your misguided delusions?" she asked incredulously.

"Kim belongs with me!" Ron snarled at her. "She's meant to be with _me_! It's just wrong-sick for her to be with another girl!"

"What the fuck would you know about what's right or what's wrong?!" Rebecca yelled back, her anger and pain threatening to overwhelm her reason. "She was depressed about what she'd almost done to my sister back during that Li'l Diablo attack! And when she realized that she was a lesbian and came out to _you_ , her best friend for a decade, you _abandoned her_! You ran out because who _she_ was no longer fit with _your_ idea of who she _should_ be!"

"You made her that way!" the blond screamed, leaping at her and throwing a pretty good kick that forced her to shift sideways to avoid. But she didn't shift much, and slammed a her fist – and a burst-fire – into his exposed abdoment, sending him flying across the room.

"I didn't do anything to her but give her my heart and love!" the ivory-toned girl yelled back. "I didn't even _know_ her when she realized she was a lesbian!" She fired off a triple burst-fire of plasma, forcing Ron to flip, dodge, and shimmy out of the way. Rebecca tapped into the power of the Monkey's Fist to boost her speed and got up close to Ron. His mystically-granted martial arts skills, combined with the training he'd received at Yamanouchi and his limited mastery over his Mystical Monkey Power did help him stand against her – for a short time. But his skills, powers, and misguided obsession were no match for Rebecca's years of training, plasma powers, or unbridled fury. She let herself go; not much, just a bit, but it was telling enough. Slipping easily under Ron's guard, she hammered him in the abdomen and ribs with a vicious, non-plasma one-two-one-two combo. She knew the second punch broke one rib, and the fourth cracked three more. She dropped to floor under a wild swing and swept his legs out from under him. In that short moment he was airborne, Rebecca went all the way down onto the floor, spun herself underneath Ron's body, and thrust upward into a push off, her feet connecting with the blond boy's back. A cry of pain exploded out of him as his momentum slammed him into her feet and was redirected upward. Landing on her feet, the ivory-toned fury looked up at her opponent and knew he was finished. But her rage wouldn't allow her to just let things go like that. Using both her plasma powers and the Monkey's Fist, she boosted herself into the air, grabbed Ron's shirt and whirled them both around before flinging him at a wall. Her momentum and the laws of motion flung her in the opposite direction, but her feet touched the wall she was heading towards at the same time Ron slammed into the other wall. Pushing off with her feet at the same time she fired off a supercharged plasma burst from both fists, Rebecca actually flew across the entire space and buried a plasma-wreathed fist into the wall next to Ron's head. As the boy groggily looked at her, blood trickling from a corner of his mouth, the red/black-haired girl drew back a fist and punched him hard in the face, breaking his nose. Another punch to his side broke two more ribs, and she was ready to keep going when his faced lolled towards her. She just stared in shock at the barely conscious boy. Blood was pouring from his broken and busted nose, and was now doing more than trickling out of both sides of his mouth. One of his eyes was swollen completely shut, and the other was half-swollen. Clarity returned to her and she was horrified but what she'd done. While Ron _had_ deserved a beating for what he'd done, she hadn't meant for him to bear the brunt of _all_ of her pain.

A small burst of plasma freed her fist from the wall and she let herself drop down to the floor. She also made sure to catch Ron, because a fall from that height (combined with the injuries she'd given him) would definitely have killed him. It didn't matter that he'd turned to evil, and endangered Kim (and probably the whole world thanks to Monkey Fist); she wasn't going to become a murder. Setting him down none too gently, Rebecca tore off down the corridor he'd come out of, calling out for her girlfriend.

"Kim!" she shouted desperately. "Kim!" She continued running, getting increasingly desperate as she want. "BUBBLES!"

In the room she'd woken up in, Kim heard her girlfriend calling for her. At first she thought it was her imagination, since she didn't believe that Rebecca would ever come back to her. But when she heard her own name a second time, the redhead began realizing that she _wasn't_ imagining things. And when she heard the loud shout of the nickname she'd been given, she knew that Rebecca _was_ really there, that she really _had_ come for her.

"H-ere," she croaked, mentally cursing the fact that she could barely speak. "H-ere," she tried again, straining to make her voice louder.

Rebecca was going back through the corridor again, thinking she'd missed something, when her suit's built-in kimmunicator came to life. Her arms were shaking again, worse than when she'd been at Wade's. She removed the gauntlets from her arms to get to the device.

 _"Damnit, Rebecca!"_ came the voice of her sister. _"I know you're there! Answer me! Now!"_

"Hey, Samantha," she replied, smiling weakly into the visual pickup.

 _"Fuck! You look like shit warmed over,"_ the pale-skinned woman said. _"And what the hell's with the shaking."_

"Adrenaline's wearing off," Rebecca explained, though she wasn't entirely sure about that.

 _"Whatever. Look, Ellen and I are about five minutes out, and our moms are ten minutes behind us. Don't do anything_ else _stupid."_

"Already . . . took care of . . . things," the ivory-toned girl said, panting.

 _"Are you okay?"_

"Just looking for . . . Kimmie," she replied. It wasn't just exhaustion from all of the running, though she didn't know what else could be going on. Maybe it was the fact that she still hadn't recovered from a week of walking non-stop without any food, water, or sleep. "I took . . . care of Monkey . . . Fist and the . . . blond baboon."

 _"Take it easy, Rebecca, okay?"_ Samantha asked, her concern making it through her not really genuine anger. Rebecca was about to reply when she thought she heard something.

"Hold it, Samantha," she said.

 _"What is it?"_ her sister asked. Instead of answering, the red/black-haired girl simply shut off the kimmunicator and listened. When she heard the almost-sound again, she charged back down the corridor until she skidded to stop in front of a green and black door. _Should've figured_ , Rebecca thought. She saw a hand scanner and, remembering that this was once her sister's room, she lit up her hand and placed it on the scanner. To her surprise, it double-beeped and the door unlocked and slid sideways into the walls on either side of the doorway. And there, on the bed, was Kim. Both girls saw each other and smiled at the other, although those smiles faded when their memories nudged them again – and when they saw the condition the other was in.

"Reb-ecc-a," Kim croaked, trying to speak more but failing.

"What have I done, Kimmie?" Rebecca asked, slowly and hesitantly approaching the bed where her girlfriend was trying to sit up.

"My . . . fault," the redhead

"We were both to blame," the ivory-toned girl said, sitting down on the bed but not too close to Kim. They really wanted to embrace each other, to get lost in each other's arms, but their pain and guilt was still too new, still too raw, for that to happen.

"Why?" Kim asked. She wanted to ask more, but the question she was trying to fully ask was self-evident.

"Because," Rebecca replied, "in spite of how much pain you caused me, in spite of how you shattered my heart and broke my soul . . . I still love you." Kim's eyes widened at that admission. "I can't forgive what you did to me right now," she went on. "I know I'm partly to blame for things even getting near that point, though. And . . . because I'm honest, I have to say that – right now – I'm not sure if I can forgive you in the future, either." Kim nodded to that, agreeing with the other girl. "I still consider you my girlfriend, though, which is surprising considering what happened."

"S-orry," the redhead said, tears falling from her eyes.

"I know," her girlfriend told her. "It's not good enough anymore, though."

"Ma-ke bett-er?" Kim wondered, her hoarse voice brittle and yet hopeful.

"Maybe one day, Kim," Rebecca said. "Maybe one day."

Shortly thereafter Samantha and Ellen arrived at the lair. Kim had fallen back asleep so the pale-skinned woman carried her, while Ellen helped Rebecca hobble out of the place. Samantha's personal jet only had room for two people, but fortunately for everyone Betty and Isabella arrived in a GJ-standard VTOL. Kim was carried inside and immediately hooked up to the jet's onboard infirmary. Ron was also hooked up in the infirmary, and carefully – but not too gently – restrained. Monkey Fist wasn't as badly injured as Ron and was simply restrained to one of the jet's jump seats. Isabella sat in the back instead of the cockpit this time, letting her youngest daughter rest her head on her lap. The two jets headed towards Middleton – specifically, Middleton General – where Betty's VTOL landed on the helipad and was met by four medical teams and a full Global Justice strike team. Ron, in spite of now being classified as a villain, was immediately rushed into an operating theater to begin his medical treatment. Half of the GJ team followed along, while the other half escorted a now conscious Monkey Fist. Kim was taken back to the same room she'd had before her kidnapping, while her mother gave Samantha a scathing lecture about leaving the hospital before she had recovered enough to even think about being discharged. Rebecca ended up getting placed in the room next to Kim's, and was treated for the same condition the redhead had, though it was a bit more extreme on her because of her plasma-boosted metabolism. Blood was drawn, of course, but Isabella threw her authority around and refused to let anyone but herself do the testing on her daughter's blood. Rebecca was stripped out of her battle suit and dressed in hospital scrubs; the gift she'd gotten for Kim was still in one of the suit's pockets, momentarily forgotten. And as both Kim and Rebecca drifted off to sleep, each wondered just where things would go from here.

 **E/N:** And there you have it. In spite of Kim's actions towards her, Rebecca still came to her rescue. The cavalry arrived too late this time as a weakened Rebecca still managed to put a plasma-powered smackdown on both Monkey Fist _and_ Ron.

So what will happen now with Kim and Rebecca? Will they truly get back together? Or will Kim's actions with Bonnie a little over a week ago drive them permanently apart? Just what did Rebecca get Kim, anyway? There's only one way to find out, and that's to read the next chapter of Red Flame, "Longshot."


	20. Chapter 20

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** This chapter is named for the song "Comatose" by Skillet. Listen to the song, and I'm sure y'all might agree that it's perfect.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 20 – Longshot**

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Both Kim and Rebecca had been hooked up to IVs (again in Kim's case), and were being monitored constantly but unobtrusively. Betty took one agent from each team guarding the prisoners, and put them on watch outside the two girls' hospital rooms. Before arriving back at the hospital, Isabella had changed out of her bio-plasma suit and into black slacks and a white button-up blouse. Right now, there were four people in the waiting room on the floor that the girls were on: James and Ann Possible, Betty Director, and Isabella Shaw. Samantha, to her frustration, was confined to a triage room while waiting to get a CT scan to check on her brain. Ellen was waiting with her, and was probably the only reason that the plasma-wielding woman was being as calm as she was. The tension was somewhat high between the four adults, which wasn't a surprise considering what had happened between their daughters. Isabella was quietly fuming, which wasn't a good sign; the louder she was (though usually more violently expressive) the safer people actually were. When she was quietly angry, it usually meant she was scheming. However, since everyone was in a hospital, she wasn't going to make a spectacle of herself.

"I suppose the obvious thing is to figure out what to do about our daughters," Ann said, breaking the silence.

"Don't mean _your_ daughter?" Isabella said, a little venomously. "After all, it was _Kim_ who ruined everything."

"Isabella Shaw," Betty warned in a low growl. To the surprise of Ann and James, the raven-haired woman's shoulders slumped.

"I shouldn't have said that," she said, "even if I did mean it."

"Kim did make a very bad decision, though," Ann replied, drawing stares of surprise from the other three; no one had expected her to do anything but defend her daughter. "I don't know why, but she chose to ignore what was going on, and brushed away Rebecca's concerns."

"And then she ended up getting frisky with another girl while still with my daughter," Isabella growled, though it lacked any bite whatsoever. She looked at Ann. "And I do remember telling you that I understood Kim's situation."

"So then what's the issue, Isabella?" James asked.

"I don't want Rebecca to be hurt like this again," the raven-haired woman replied. "I really don't think she could handle it."

"It would be the same with Kim, Kitten," Betty told her wife. "Kim went catatonic when the reality of what she'd done crashed in on her all at once. And I don't think we could keep them apart if we wanted to."

"They do seem drawn to each other, as though they're meant to be together," Ann agreed.

"How can either of you think that after all of this?" Isabella demanded.

"What did Rebecca do the _exact_ moment she learned Kim had been kidnapped?" Betty asked.

"She ran off again and went-" Isabella stopped speaking and her eyes widened as she realized what she was about to say.

"-after Kim," the one-eyed woman finished. "Her first reaction was to go after the girl who'd broken her heart in order to save her." She looked at her wife and smiled. "After all, I did the same thing. You broke my heart all those years ago, Kitten, when you chose that bastard Robert over me. But when I found you again, and saw what you were doing to yourself-"

"-you saved me," Isabella interrupted, knowing where her wife was going and what she was saying. "So what should we do?" she asked, looking around at the others.

"Let them decide," Ann and James said together.

"Stereo," the raven-haired woman commented with a grin.

"Obviously, there are still positive feelings, maybe even love, between the two of them," the normally semi-oblivious and partially scatterbrained James Possible said. "If we try to interfere on our own, we could end up destroying that permanently and ruining any future they might have." He shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the surprised looks from Rebecca's parents. "So we stay out of things until they ask us for advice or help."

"But we'll decline to help, telling them to work things out themselves," Betty added. "So you're saying we let them decide whether their relationship has a future or not."

"That's probably the only thing we can do under the circumstances," Ann agreed. "But what about Bonnie? She was the catalyst for the division and ruination of our daughters' relationship."

"Again, _we_ don't do anything about it," Isabella said, back to thinking instead of just reacting emotionally. "Those three girls got themselves into this situation, they can get themselves out. If Kim and Rebecca try and succeed in rebuilding their relationship, it'll be stronger than it was before."

 _Middleton, Various Locations (The week of Kim and Rebecca's estrangement)_

When Monday arrived, Bonnie was dreading going to school. She was afraid of running into either Kim or Rebecca – or, even worse, both of them. She didn't know that Rebecca had run out of Middleton completely, nor that Kim had withdrawn so far into herself that she'd slipped into a conscious catatonic state. She'd stayed over at Tara's Saturday night, and halfway through Sunday. She needed the time to pull herself together in order to be able to deal with her sisters (although Lonnie and Connie were still worried that Bonnie wouldn't hesitate to gut them if they attempted to barge into her room or bother her in any way). Tara was actually waiting for Bonnie outside of the school on Monday, which made the brunette feel better. She knew that Tara was a lesbian, even though for the junior prom she'd come with a guy (she'd admitted to Bonnie that she had done that so guy could go to a prom since he hadn't come out to the guy he was crushing on). After what had happened between her and Kim – and Rebecca – Bonnie was pretty gun shy now about relationships.

Bonnie didn't see Kim or Rebecca at all that day, nor did she either one on Tuesday. By Wednesday the brunette's nerves were getting stretched badly, so at lunch Tara decided to shock her out of her fear and publicly kissed Bonnie on the lips. Bonnie's instinctive reaction was to return the kiss – until her brain registered the fact of where she was. Before she could say anything to the blond, she heard someone shout, "It's about damn time!" before everyone in the cafeteria broke into applause.

"I'm gonna get you for that," Bonnie growled at Tara.

"I was just staking my claim before some other hot cheerleader got to you," the blond replied sweetly and innocently. "Besides," she added, smiling, "I've had a crush on you since forever."

"So you kiss me like that in public? In front of the whole school?" the brunette asked, still a little irate.

"Well, it was either publicly kiss you or publicly grope you, and I didn't want to get detention so I went with the kiss."

"You're impossible," Bonnie told her, but she had a smile on her face.

"Look, stop worrying about Kim and Rebecca, okay?" Tara said, her attitude becoming serious. "I know what Kim had said to you, because you didn't hold anything back, but you know that Kim always gives second chances."

"I ruined my second chance, Tara," the brunette said.

"She'll give you another. Don't say it," the blond warned, seeing her new girlfriend's mouth open. "I know she said she hated you, and never wanted to see you again, but she _was_ beyond upset and you _had_ just helped her to wreck the best relationship she's ever had."

"Gee, thanks."

"I'm not saying that to put you down, Bon-Bon." Coming from anyone else, that nickname would've angered Bonnie; but Tara made it seem like a loving endearment. "I'm saying that you just have to give her time. And you need to move on. Sure, you had secretly crushed on Kim since junior high, and decided to go after her once it she was publicly out. It didn't work out, obviously, so just move on. Get past her."

"What about Rebecca? She knew what I was doing the whole time."

"And yet did nothing to you," Tara pointed out. "She could've easily kicked and/or barbequed your sexy little ass but didn't. Instead, she tried to warn Kim – her girlfriend – about you."

"What happened was all my fault."

"I'm sure Kim blames herself, too, since she could've easily refused your advance. Hell, she could've actually listened to her girlfriend and stopped tutoring you to deny you the opportunity. But what happened, happened." Just then the lunch bell rang and the two girls stood and went to tend to their trays. As they headed to class, Tara looked over at Bonnie and said, "Whenever they come back, just let them be until things get sorted out. They'll come to you, and then we'll all talk things over. Stop stressing about what could happen, and just wait to see what does. People can surprise you in good ways, you know."

The next day Bonnie and Tara learned that Kim had been hospitalized for undisclosed reasons, which would've sent the brunette back into a downward spiral if she hadn't had Tara. The blond kept her sane, kept her mentality from fracturing under her demons, and that got Bonnie thinking. Ever since they'd met, Tara had always been there for her. Sure, they had become friends, but a lot of the time Tara had done more than a 'mere friend' would've. She'd always had good advice for her, supported her no matter what she said or did, and was always willing to listen to her. And Bonnie had always taken her for granted, which made her feel guilty. And not just for doing so for years, but for just showing up at the other girl's house without warning and staying there; and also just unloading on her. She pointed all of that out at lunch, and Tara just smiled.

"It's what friends do, Bon-Bon," the blond said.

"But you've done more than what a friend would do," Bonnie insisted. "And what have I done to thank you for everything you've done for me?"

"I'm popular," Tara pointed out. "I'm on the cheer squad because you gave me a chance to prove myself. Bonnie, you've always pushed me to be better than I am. Sure, you never used words or actions, really, and sometimes during practices you'd let your social life interfere with the routines, but watching you and all made me want to do more, to be better."

"But why?"

"Because I wanted to be good enough, worthy enough, for you to see me as more than a friend," the blond replied. "And now you do."

"You've been waiting ever since junior high for me to want to date you?" Bonnie asked incredulously. Tara nodded. "But why?"

"Three little words, Bon-Bon," she answered. "Three words that may not seem like much, but matter far, far more than they are." She breathed in, and sighed it out. "I'm not really ready to say them yet, though, because I don't think either of us is really for all of the implications they have."

"So . . . you want to go out with me?" Bonnie asked, timing it so that Tara was drinking her milk when she spoke. The blond nearly choked on her milk, and actually spewed some out of her nose, making the brunette laugh hard.

"That was evil," Tara told her after she'd recovered, but unable to hold back her smile. "And, yes, I would really like to be your girlfriend."

"I promise, Tara," Bonnie replied, far more serious than she'd ever been, "that I will never, _ever_ , do to us – or allow happen to us – what I did to Kim and Rebecca."

"That means a lot to me, Bonnie," the blond said quietly. "And I promise you the same thing. As long as we are together, I won't go after anyone else. Not that anyone else could ever compare to you."

The next couple of days Bonnie still noticed that Kim and Rebecca weren't at school, but she no longer felt that spectre of dread she had before. She wasn't sure how to even begin making reparations to those two for what she had done, but recalled that school was important to Kim (she thought it might be important to Rebecca, too) and so went around to the various teachers and collected the school and homework for them both. She and Tara walked from school to Kim's house, and dropped the assignments off with the redhead's parents. Bonnie wasn't sure if she'd be welcome at the Possible's, considering what she'd done the last time she was there, but Ann hadn't yelled at her or anything; although Bonnie would've preferred at least a cold shoulder to the utter indifference she got. Tara assured her, though, that being forgiven would take a lot more time than what had passed. Bonnie still worried, but not as much.

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital (The day after Kim's rescue)_

"I can't believe you're eating that crap," Samantha said as she walked into Rebecca's hospital room. Rebecca was going to town on the hospital food she'd been given for lunch.

"I didn't eat anything for the past week except for some lemong squares at Nana Possible's," the ivory-toned teen replied. "Besides, the doctors – and Mom – said that because of my plasma-boosted metabolism I needed to consume a whole lot more nutrients faster."

"Still," her pale-skinned sister said.

"Just shut up and let me eat," she growled, making her sister laugh. The two were silent for a few minutes.

"So how are you feeling? And I don't mean physically," Samantha said.

"About Kim and what happened?" Rebecca asked. Her sister nodded. "I honestly can't say. I know I still love her, and I'm still willing to do anything for her, but she . . . she really hurt me, you know?"

"Believe me, I know," the raven-haired woman agreed. "And Ellen definitely knows, since she went through a similar experience with me back before you were born."

"Don't you mean created? I _am_ supposed to be your clone, you know."

"Don't pull that crap with me, Rebecca. It doesn't matter how or why your born. And what you call it doesn't matter, either. You're here, you're alive, so that's _all_ that matters."

"Yeah," Rebecca agreed softly. "I know things will never go back to what they were before, since you can't change the past. And running from it didn't really do anything. I just ended up too far away to help Kim when she truly needed me."

"I still can't believe you actually went to save her after what she did to you," Samantha said, her voice telling Rebecca that she was impressed and awed.

"I love her," the red/black-haired girl replied simply. "That will never change. I . . . I don't know if I can forgive her, though."

"You will. I know it," the raven-haired woman told her.

"How do you know?" her ivory-toned sister asked.

"Because Ellen forgave me. I betrayed her in a different way than Kim did you, but it was just as bad. We'd fought pretty badly, then I betrayed her by listening to my brother. And she ended up becoming a super villain and forcing me to once again betray her."

"And she forgave you for that?" Rebecca asked, incredulous.

"It took a few years, but that was because she was in jail during that time. I busted her out, though, so she could help me get revenge on Kim. Which I wanted because she had that battle suit and busted my ass by kicking me into that tower." Samantha chuckled then. "And then you came along after I'd pounded Kimmie's ass and completely schooled me."

"So you're saying I should forgive Kim for what she did?"

"Maybe not right away, maybe not ever. I can't say either way. Or even at all. That's _your_ call. But I do know that while you were walking your way to Florida – by the way, our parents are _extremely_ unhappy about you just vanishing like that – Kim didn't interact with anyone at all. She didn't eat, she didn't sleep; hell, she didn't even move around at all. Completely catatonic."

"And I did that to her," Rebecca whispered.

"No, she did it to herself by ignoring you and then shacking up with some bimbo because she had deprived herself of the one person she truly needed," Samantha said, only a little harshly. Then she let out a heavy sigh. "But that's something that needs to be worked out by the two of you."

"Can we go back to school tomorrow?" her sister asked.

"Not my call, kid," Samantha answered.

 _Middleton, Middleton High_

It would turn out, though, that both Rebecca _and_ Kim would be able to return to school; though Kim was under medical orders to not do any kind of strenuous activity. Rebecca was in better shape than Kim, though she was still ordered to take things slow and easy. Especially since her blood work was being thoroughly analyzed by her mom. The two girls didn't really talk to each other, though they did make sure to be around each other. At the Possible's home, Rebecca was moved into the guest room since the situation between the two girls was still unresolved. Back at school, Kim and Rebecca were walking near each other (but not holding hands) when they ran into Bonnie and Tara – who _were_ holding hands. Both Kim and Rebecca noticed the look of terror that came into the brunette's eyes when she came upon them. It was obvious she was utterly scared of the two of them, and they didn't even have to think about why. But when the two couples were right in front of each other, Rebecca surprised everyone – including herself – by walking right up to Bonnie and hugging her. Bonnie just collapsed into the other girl's arms and cried. Rebecca just patted her on the back and said, "It doesn't matter anymore." After what she'd done to Monkey Fist – and most definitely Ron – and the realization she'd had after those fights, she just couldn't hold onto her anger at Bonnie any longer. The terror in the other girl's eyes had told Rebecca that the brunette knew she'd done wrong and truly regretted it; and that she feared retribution. When the ivory-toned girl released Bonnie from the hug, Tara helped her girlfriend on to class. Kim looked over at her as the other two walked away and said, "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. You just forgave her, knowing that she was part of the problem."

"I'd nearly killed Ron, Kim," Rebecca replied as they, too, continued on to class. "I'd let my anger and pain overwhelm me, and nearly turn me into a monster."

"You could never be a monster," the redhead told her.

"Thank you," the ivory-toned girl said softly. "I . . . I just want to let you know, Kim, that I will forgive you one day. It . . . it won't be soon, though, but it will happen."

"I'm glad," Kim replied, just as softly. "My life would be gray and colorless if you weren't there in it."

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Isabella hadn't left the hospital, even though the equipment at GJHQ was far superior to what MGH had. She wanted to close to her daughter right now – and there was an urgent feeling of some kind at the back of her mind. Something about Rebecca's blood. She knew the theory that she'd told the Possibles about, back when Rebecca first came to stay with them. That theory was made based upon an analysis of Rebecca's blood after the last accelerated aging procedure. Since then, a lot of things had happened to her daughter. One of the most notable being that 'gene-ripper' Ellen had made a month ago, back when she'd been evil. That hadn't had any noticeable effects, though she'd been informed of the sporadic but increasing tremors in Rebecca's limbs. Isabella didn't bother to keep track of the time; it didn't matter to her. Some instinct was telling her that the time didn't matter, but time itself _was_ of the essence.

And then she saw it. She saw the destablization of cells. The energy from _Electronique's_ weapon had lain within Rebecca's cellular structure, slowly dissipating but still weakening her genetic code. _The mystical energy from those bracers must've reacted with that latent energy_ , Isabella realized with true and utter horror. _Rebecca's cells weren't unraveling; they were_ failing _! Collapsing because of a weakened matrix and being overloaded by energy._ Isabella wasn't aware that she'd knocked over the chair she'd been sitting in, nor was she aware of bursting out of the lab and sprinting down the hall at eight in the morning of the next day. There was only one thing she was aware of:

 _Rebecca was going to die!_

 _Middleton, Middleton High School_

When Rebecca woke up that morning, she was surprised to discover that she still felt extremely exhausted and worn out. She also felt a little disconcerted because things would go in and out of focus a bit, but she put all of that down to not having slept well. The walk to school seemed to tire her out even more, though she didn't let on to Kim about that. Not that she had to, because the redhead could tell something wasn't quite right with her girlfriend. During the classes before lunch, she did notice that her ivory-toned girlfriend had to actually force herself to focus and pay attention to what was going on in class; it was as though she was fighting to stay conscious.

"I can get your lunch for you, if you need to sit down," Kim offered as the two of them went through the lunchline.

"I-I c-can g-get it," Rebecca stammered, sounding more like she was shivering. Kim wanted to insist, but didn't want to push the other girl right now. But as they were heading towards a table, Rebecca looked over at her and said, "Kim? I . . . I think something's . . . wrong."

Kim looked over at Rebecca in time to see her eyes roll up into her head as she lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor.

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Isabella had arrived at the school at the same time the ambulance did. She had to threaten the EMTs to let Kim ride with Rebecca, and she followed the ambulance in her car while getting ahold of the Doctors Possible, Betty, and Samantha. Rebecca was rushed into the ER while Isabella kept Kim back, embracing the girl as she cried. When the others all arrived, Ann immediately took her daughter and led her aside, nodding to the raven-haired woman; the older redhead would find out the details later.

"So what's going on, Mom?" Samantha asked, trying to be belligerent but failing as her concern and worry dominated her tone.

"Rebecca's dying," Isabella said bluntly. That made everyone's jaws drop. "Her cellular structure is failing because of a combination of that ray she was struck with back when Samantha and Ellen were villains, and the mystical energy from those bracers she wore when battling Monkey Fist and Stoppable a couple of days ago. I only just finished the analysis this morning. Fuck!" she screamed. "I should've gone to my lab! I could've known this that very day!"

"What's done is done," Betty said. "Can't change what happened so let's figure out we can do."

"I'm to blame, aren't I?" Ellen asked. She'd come with Samantha from their apartment.

"No," Isabella said. "Betty's right. That happened in the past, so there's no use casting blame about it."

"Can anything be done?" James asked, placing a comforting hand on Isabella's shoulder.

"I don't know," the woman whispered. "There's . . . there's just one chance. It's a longshot. So long of one that it's chances of success are low."

"Any chance is better than none, love," Betty told her.

"Her genetic code can't maintain itself anymore," the raven-haired woman explained. "The accelerated aging used to mature her faster didn't give the cells proper time to develop as they should. Periodic infusions of fresh DNA after the process was stopped _might_ have been able to help the cells strengthen and and rejuvenate as they should have."

"Fresh DNA?" Samantha asked. Then several things clicked in her mind. "Mom. You've said she was cloned from _me_ , right?"

"Yes," Isabella confirmed.

"Then use me," her oldest daughter said with as much bluntness as her mother. Everyone stared at her in stunned surprise. "Hook me up to her with a direct transfusion."

"You don't know what that could do to either of you," Betty said. "It could kill one or both of you, or do nothing at all."

"It could also save my sister," Samantha snapped.

"It can?" asked a small voice. Everyone turned to look at Kim, who was staring directly at Samantha. "You can save her?"

The former villainess couldn't stand the look of despair and hope on the teen's face, but wouldn't lie to her. "It's a slim chance, Princess," she said, "but it's a chance."

"Samantha, it . . . it could kill you," Ellen said, looking afraid. Samantha looked at her girlfriend.

"If it does, it does," she replied. "Rebecca deserves as much of a chance to live as I do. More, even, since she hasn't really lived yet." She looked at the distraught redhead that had been her rival for years. "And I'm not about to let her die if there's anything I can do it about." She turned her gaze to Isabella. "Let's do this, Mom."

"I don't know how much blood she'll need, Firefly," Isabella told her.

"If it takes every last drop I have in me, then take it all. I was once a hero; maybe I can be one again by doing this."

"Then let's get you prepped," her mom told her. As she led her daughter off, and Ann and James led Kim to a seat, Betty came up to Ellen and wrapped an arm around the younger brunette's shoulders.

"What she's doing is one of the bravest things I've seen in all my years," Betty told her.

"What if I lose her?" Ellen whispered, starting to cry. "I don't know if I can live without her now."

"Samantha and Rebecca are survivors, dear," the one-eyed woman reminded her. "If Samantha does die during this attempt . . . well, it won't be easy, but you'll manage to keep on living." She cast a glance over at the Possibles. "I'm more worried about Kim." Ellen gave her tear-filled questioning look. "She lost Rebecca once," Betty explained. "And now, just after she's gotten a second chance, an opportunity to make things right, she's faced with the possibility of losing her forever." She swallowed hard. "I'm really worried, though, about what Isabella will do if they both die."

"She has you to be there for her," Ellen said. "You'll be able to help her." She, too, looked over at the Possibles. "And . . . if both Samantha and Rebecca don't make it, then . . . then I'll help Kim." Suddenly she smiled. "But I just remembered a couple of things."

"What's that, dear?" Betty asked, a bit confused.

"The longest shots can pay off the biggest," she replied, "and Samantha's too stubborn to let both herself _and_ her sister die."

 **E/N:** Tragedy after tragedy in this story. Rebecca's dying, but there's a very small candle of hope. Though it could backfire and take two lives instead of one.

So, will this small light of hope succeed? Will Kim be able to make up for her mistake? Or could this be the last call? Find out if all hope is not lost in the next chapter of Red Flame, "How to Save a Life."


	21. Chapter 21

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** This chapter is named for the song "How to Save a Life" by The Fray.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 21 – How to Save a Life**

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

"Mom?" Samantha asked, her voice actually displaying some nervousness. They were on their way to one of the operating theaters that had the observation deck looking down into it. Isabella had discussed, forcefully and quickly, the procedure she _would_ be doing with the hospital staff. And she refused to have anyone observing what was going to happen; even though Rebecca _was_ a human, an individual (and now a part of the world-renown Team Possible), she was still a classified Global Justice project (she and Betty had gotten a lot of flak from the UN about letting Project Firefly 'go public' but those old fossils didn't have a choice since Isabella _did_ have sole authority over the project).

"What is it, Samantha?" Isabella asked as they walked into the theater, where two beds were already set up – and an unconsious and hooked up Rebecca was on one. She looked at her eldest daughter and saw the worry on her face – which was very telling.

"I . . . I'm scared," her daughter said. Isabella had gotten to know her daughter very well since the pardon and all, and had heard from Kim and Betty how she'd used to be. So hearing the green-tinted young woman actually admit to that told her more than the words did.

"I know, sweetie," Isabella said, stopping to turn around and pull her daughter into a hug. "I am, too. I had no one else but your mother for a long time, until I had Rebecca. They became my everything until I . . . I learned about you. And your brothers. I don't want to lose either of you."

Samantha had returned the hug when she felt her mom's arms around her. Now she said, "But if I don't try . . . more than just you and Mother will lose her." Her gaze drifted up to one of the observation galleries, and Isabella turned to look herself. In the one they were looking at, the two saw Ann helping Kim to a seat and Ellen sitting down next to her. "I've already caused enough grief for people. I'm not a hero anymore, but I can at least do the right thing here," the ex-villainess said. Isabella hugged her daughter again, a few tears running down her cheeks.

"No matter what happens, Samantha," she said, tightening the hug for a moment, "I want you to know that I regret all those years I wasn't around . . . and that, right now, I could not be more proud of the woman you've become."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Now, I'm afraid, it's time to get started," Isabella told her. She walked her daughter over to the empty bed and helped her done. "I have Kimmie's little computer friend making sure that what happens today won't be recorded. The last thing we need is for this to get out, especially to rest of Global Justice."

"What do you mean?" Samantha asked.

"If things turn out as I hope, then we won't have to worry about it," her mom replied. "But that's a discussion for a later time. Right now, let me explain what will be happening, and then what I am hoping will happen." She took a deep breath, and then let it out. "First, this isn't going to be a simple blood donation. What will be happening is that we'll hook you up so that the blood will flow from you, but it'll go to the device between the two beds where it'll be stored and kept at the same temperature it is in your body. It can't be flooded into Rebecca's body at the same rate it leaves yours; that could prove fatal to her. It has to be metered out so that her body can incorporate the fresh DNA as it comes in. The second thing is that you'll have to be unconscious for this, but normal anesthesia can't be used; drugs in your system would be metabolized too fast by your accelerated cellular regeneration, and high doses would have to be used. That would alter your genetic structure too much, since doses would have to be administered periodically. What we'll be using is actually something that Global Justice developed recently to use for non-lethal takedowns. It's officially known as the Sonic Load Electro Emulation Pod, or SLEEP." At her daughter's sour look Isabella smirked. " _I_ didn't come up with the name. It uses ultrasonic waves to emulate the brain's electrical impulses to simulate sleep, which makes anyone subjected to it actually fall asleep and _stay_ asleep until the device is turned off. I have a pair of, essentially, sonic jammers placed in my ears that operate at the same frequency as the SLEEP, countering it. Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but I want you to be aware of what's going on."

"I appreciate it, Mom," Samantha told her.

"The sonic waves will also, hopefully, help with the integration process of your DNA with Rebecca's," she went on. "The risk with using this procedure is if any kind of back-flow happens with the blood transfer system. Because you and Rebecca have a genetic match of ninety-three point seven percent, there is a high probability – though low possibility – of her blood flowing backwards into the machine, and the failing genetic code corrupting your own DNA and causing the same thing to happen to you."

"Are there other risks?"

"Yes, but that's the worst one as it would result in both of you dying. Second worst is that even the infusion of fresh genetic material direct from the original source does nothing. Which would mean that you will experience the symptoms associated with blood loss for a temporary period . . . and we'd all be attending Rebecca's funeral." She looked at her eldest daughter apologetically. "I know you're not fond of needles, dear, and I'm sorry about this."

"I'm not," Samantha replied. At her mom's look she added, "It brings back memories that I'd rather not recall, but it's the only chance Rebecca has to even have a hope of living." Nothing more was said after that, and Isabella proceeded to hook Samantha up to both machines. Once she was done, she reached over to push the SLEEP's activation button. She only hesitated for a moment, just long enough to look up at the observation gallery where both of her daughters' girlfriends waited, then pushed the button. A low, barely perceptible hum filled the room and, slowly, Samantha's eyes drifted closed. Isabella waited a few minutes to make sure that her raven-haired daughter was truly asleep before once again looking at the gallery window. She reached up to her collar and pushed a button that was on it, which was actually a small wireless link to the gallery's internal speakers.

"I'm about to start the procedure," she explained. "Once I activate the blood transfer/integration machine, everything will be up to hope and divine intervention." Taking a deep breath once more, she turned back to the machine upon which everything depended on. She closed her eyes for a moment, and whispered, "Please let this work," before opening them again and pushing the button.

 _Go City, Go Tower_

It was actually quiet for once in Go City, much to the disappointment of Harvey Gibbs, usually known by his 'true' identity of Hego. It wasn't that he was unhappy with the fact that crime was currently at an all-time low in the city, but that without super criminals or even normal criminals the people of Go City weren't able to see how well and how heroically he led Team Go. He still had trouble dealing with the fact that Shego had betrayed them all by leaving the team; he was actually the only one who saw it that way as Mego (Mark Gibbs) didn't really care since it didn't involve him, and the Wegos (Walter and Westley) actually admired their sister for following her own path. He always saw the meteor strike as destiny, and becoming super heroes being the fulfillment of that destiny. He'd heard rumors that Shego was no longer evil, but he wasn't sure to believe them since she hadn't come back to the team. Hego had always believed that her 'fall to villainy' was the result of her 'deviant' relationship with that Ellen girl, and he believed he was right in breaking them up because shortly after that the 'not-right' girl had (in his mind) turned out to be a villain. It never occurred to him that he was actually the reason Shego had left the team, nor that he was the real reason Shego's girlfriend had become the super villain Electronique. Right now he was looking through various news channels, just seeing what was going on outside of Go City since nothing was really happening in the city. He heard a snippet that mentioned Team Possible and went back to the station; he remembered, somewhat, that they had been a little helpful back when the villainous villain Aviarious had stolen the team's powers.

 _". . . In recent news,"_ the reporter from Middleton News 3 said, _"it was learned that a student at Middleton High named Rebecca Shaw, one of the two members currently making up Team Possible, was immediately rushed to Middleton General Hospital following an unexplained collapse during a lunch period."_ An image flashed on the screen showing two side-by-side photos; one of a redheaded girl with olive green eyes and the name 'Kim Possible' underneath it, the other of a girl with hair that seemed both black and red at the same time without being either color at once and vibrant orange eyes with the name 'Rebecca Shaw' underneath it. Hego nearly choked on his own air when he remembered that his mom's maiden name had been Shaw, and that Rebecca Shaw looked almost exactly like Shego. _"Though the cause has yet to be explained, it is said that Miss Shaw's parents – Doctors Betty Director and Isabella Shaw of Global Justice – are currently at Middleton General overseeing their daughter's care. Miss Shaw's sister, Samantha Gibbs – wait; it appears that about a month ago Miss Gibbs took her mother's maiden name and is now going by Samantha Shaw – is there, too, as is Kim Possible. Miss Possible is currently dating young Rebecca, and traveled with her girlfriend to the hospital. The people of Middleton send their prayers and good wishes to them all."_

Hego cuts off the television in disbelief, his mind trying the process the fact that his mother _wasn't_ dead, had married a _woman_ , and now had a _daughter_ who was _also_ dating a _girl_. And also that Samantha was apparently no longer a villain and had taken their mother's maiden name instead of keeping her rightful name of Gibbs. He knew, though, that if Shego was back on the side of good then it was only right of her to rejoin Team Go. And if they had another sister that possessed super powers – he had no proof that she did or didn't, but believed that if she was a Gibbs (in spite of going by Shaw) then she had to have powers – then it had to be destiny, which meant that Rebecca was meant to join Team Go in their righteous fight to protect and serve Go City. He reached forward and pushed another button on the control console of Go Tower's main conference room.

"Mego, Wegos," he spoke (to him) authoritively into the microphone of the Go Tower Internal Announcement System. "Emergency team meeting in the main conference room. Immediately." After that, he used the external system to contact his father.

 _"Hello, Harvey,"_ came the voice of Robert Gibbs. _"You've actually called at a rather good time, son. My campaign for re-election is going very well, and I think perhaps a conference with Team Go to congratulate them on the fine job their doing of lowering crime in Go City would be a good way to cap things off."_

"As Team Go's heroic yet humble leader," Hego replied, "I would be honored to help out the mayor of Go City, but I'm calling as your son right now, father."

 _"I see. What's wrong, son?"_ Robert asked.

"I just caught a news report from Middleton," the muscle-bound young man said. "And Mother is alive."

 _"That can't be right. She . . . she died years ago. Shortly after the divorce."_

"That is what we were told, Father, but I can't imagine that the news stations would spread lies and falsehoods, as citizens rely upon them for accurate reporting." He hesitated, but went on. "I also learned from the report that Samantha is also in Middleton . . . and we apparently have a sister, too, who may or may not have the Glow."

 _"This is rather unsettling news, Harvey."_

"I know, Father," Hego agreed. "Mother is now also married to a woman named Betty Director."

 _"That . . ._ woman _. . . corrupted your mother in the first place,"_ Robert growled. _"Harvey, you are to get your sisters here, and on Team Go."_

"Samantha may not wish to do so, Father."

 _"I will have a way so that they_ will _be a part of Team Go, one way or another. I will not have any more shame on our name."_

 _ **Flashback – Samantha, Age 10**_

 _ **"I want Mom back," little Samantha told her father, her face looking far too stern for a ten-year-old girl. It had been a few months since her parents had divorced and her mother had left, but the raven-haired girl didn't understand why she hadn't come back. After all, her mother had always said that she loved her, and if you really loved someone you didn't leave them. So, her ten-year-old mind had reasoned, if her mom loved her and would never leave on her own, then her father was to blame.**_

 _ **"She's gone, Samantha," Robert Gibbs said, a little sharply. "She wasn't a very good mother, as she never did what she was supposed to. Now, you**_ **will** ** _stop talking about this."_**

 _ **Samantha's emerald-green eyes narrowed, an expression that reminded Robert too much of his now ex-wife. Then his daughter crossed her arms, making the resemblance even closer; if she started tapping a foot, he'd have to discipline the child.**_

 _ **"You're a liar," she snapped, and received a slap across her face. Only her head moved with the blow, showing Robert that his wife's improper desire to instruct their daughter in martial arts had taken deep root. "That's the**_ **last** ** _time you'll hit me," she vowed. Apparently, his daughter was also taking her promise of never calling him 'Father' as his sons did seriously._**

 _ **"Treat me with the respect I deserve, Samantha, and it will be," he told her harshly.**_

 _ **"I**_ **am** ** _," she replied in the same tone. "You made Mom leave, and you're trying to be a bully. Mom said that you should always stand up to bullies and not let them push you around."_**

 _ **"Your mother never really knew what she was talking about," Robert said. "She wasn't raised to be a proper woman, and has apparently corrupted you in the same way."**_

 _ **"Fuck you," she growled, before turning on her heel and storming out of the room. She walked to her room, but found her path blocked by her older brother, Harvey.**_

 _ **"You shouldn't talk to our father like that, Samantha," he said, his tone and posture indicating severe disapproval with her. "He's only doing the right thing."**_

 _ **"Like hell he is," she snapped. "He made Mom leave."**_

 _ **"You're only ten, Samantha," he reminded her. "You wouldn't understand grown-up stuff."**_

 _ **"**_ **You're** ** _just eleven, Harvey," Samantha growled. "You wouldn't understand it, either."_**

 _ **"I understand more than you do."**_

 _ **"You keep thinking that. Now, I'm going to my room to be alone."**_

 _ **"Apologize to Father, first."**_

 _ **"He may be the reason I was born, but that doesn't make him my father. Now, move!" she said, before punching him the gut. Clutching at his stomach, Harvey dropped to his knees and glared at his sister as she stalked by. Once up the stairs and in her room, Samantha threw herself onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow so no one would hear her crying. She would never show weakness to anyone, and believed that if anyone saw her crying they would think she was a weak little girl. She wasn't weak; her mom had already helped her master three different martial arts styles and had gotten her started on seven more. Samantha knew that her mom was a wonderful and amazing person. Not only could she beat anybody up she wanted to, she was really really smart, too. She always referred to Samantha as her 'Firefly' because – her mom said – she was a bright little light in the dark. She didn't fell like a bright little light right now, though; that man (as she thought of him) said the divorce was her mother's fault, but she knew better. She'd heard all of the arguments the two had had, and knew that that man was lying. Her mom just refused to cow under to that man's mistaken beliefs and he couldn't accept it. Couldn't accept that his wife had a far bigger pair than he ever would. Samantha looked up and saw a pink lion with a white mane looking at her. To the ten-year-old, he seemed to be asking her a question. With a nod, Samantha reached up and pulled him to her.**_

 _ **"Oh, Oscar," she said, hugging him tightly to her and trying to stifle her tears; Oscar had been a gift to her from her mom, who had told the (back then) seven-year-old girl he was a brave and friendly lion, who would always listen to her problems. "I wish Mom was still here. She didn't have to leave. I'm sure she could've made that man be good. I know that**_ **he** ** _wants me to be 'normal' girl – whatever that means – but I want to be me. Mom would tell me to be who I am inside. She always said 'I love you,' and always said it a lot each day. That man doesn't even give hugs. Not even the special hugs that Mom says are only for special people." She hugged Oscar tighter to her and sobbed again. "I wish Mom was here."_**

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Isabella watched as a few tears ran down Samantha's face, and reached over to brush them away. She wouldn't leave the theater until the operation was complete, one way or the other. She heard her eldest daughter mumble the word 'Oscar,' and knew that her Firefly was dreaming about her old lion plushie that she'd first gotten at the age of 7. While she knew that Samantha would never admit it, Isabella was beyond certain that her daughter still had the old thing; after all, that lion was probably the oldest friend she'd had.

Up in the observation gallery, Kim had fallen into a fitful sleep in one of the somewhat comfortable chairs in the room. Ann had retrieved a blanket for her daughter and covered her up. Ellen couldn't fall asleep just yet, though she was envious of the young redhead, so she stood at the window and stared down into the operating theater, even though nothing was visibly happening.

"She is a very brave woman," Ann said, coming up to stand beside the brunette.

"One of the bravest I know," Ellen agreed. "I'm still frightened of losing her again."

"Again?" the elder redhead echoed.

"Yeah. The first time I lost her, it was because of her older brother, Harvey, and my actions, too," the brunette admitted. "It's a bit ironic, though, that when she needed help – even though it was for a plan to get revenge on your daughter – she came to me first, in spite of what we'd done to each other in the past."

"People can surprise you," Ann agreed. She sighed, though it was a heavy filled with sorrow. "I'm really worried about Kim, though."

"You're afraid of what will happen if Rebecca doesn't make it," Ellen asked, though it wasn't a question.

"After the attack by those little robots, and after she'd gotten home from her junior prom, Kim was pretty down," the redhead explained. "And it got worse when Ronald, her best friend since she was really young, abandoned her after she'd discovered her sexual orientation. Then Rebecca came along." Ann looked at the younger woman. "I had never seen Kim so happy before; even back before her depression. She was a lot worse a little more than a week ago than she'd been near the start of summer."

"When she'd driven Rebecca away."

"Yes."

"You're worried that something far, far worse will happen if Rebecca dies," the brunette said. Ann just nodded. "Well, I'm not."

"Why not?"

"Because I know Samantha pretty well, and if Rebecca is anything like her she won't give up. Ever. In spite of how your daughter betrayed her, I know that Rebecca still loves her."

"I know you're right," Ann agreed, "but I still worry."

"It's a mother's job to worry about their children," Ellen said. "As much as Samantha denies it, I know that she's a hero. And heroes will do whatever it takes to save someone's life, whether it's the life of a friend, an innocent, or even an enemy."

 **E/N:** I know this is somewhat of a short chapter, but I felt this was a good note to end it on. So the procedure to save Rebecca's life has begun, Hego learns about her existence, Ellen and Ann have a little heart-to-heart, and a flashback within Samantha's head reveals part of her past.

More flashbacks will abound to reveal even more of Samantha's past and how she became first a hero and then a villain in the next chapter of Red Flame, "The Past Returns."


	22. Chapter 22

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** I got the name for this chapter from the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze. Michaelangelo says the phrase "the past returns" when the turtles are sneaking into the TGRI facility. I thought it would be a fitting title for a chapter that would focus on flashbacks.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 22 – The Past Returns**

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Isabella kept a careful eye on the vital signs of her daughters with the dedication of a doctor and the intensity of a mother. Betty had come into the observation gallery half an hour ago, but the raven-haired woman barely took notice of her entrance; her attention was focused on what was happening before her. She was actually making adjustments to the machine that was transferring Samantha's blood to Rebecca. She didn't want to leave it to automation and chance; after all, she'd actually cobbled together the machine from a few different devices the hospital already used. It wasn't that she didn't trust her own skills – though she wasn't really mechanically or technically minded – but that she knew any choice both of her daughters now had relied upon the device working as she hoped and believed it would. She heard a whimper and looked at Samantha; even after the more than ten years she'd been separated from her daughter, Isabella would always recognize the sounds she'd make when she was scared. She knew that Samantha was probably dreaming, maybe even reliving past experiences, and also knew that there was nothing she could do to help her through it. She did, though, move over a bit so she could reach up and brush a tear off of her daughter's cheek.

"It'll be okay, Firefly," Isabella whispered. "Everything will be alright." _I have to hope they will_ , Isabella thought, _because I don't think anyone here could handle it if it's otherwise._

 _ **Flashback – Samantha, Age 11**_

 _ **One year. It had been about one year since their mom had left. Samantha was up in the tree house that Harvey and Mark had insisted their dad build. Walter and Westley enjoyed it, too, which is the only reason that she hadn't already taken a match to the thing. Her birthday had just been a couple of days ago, and it was the worst one she'd had so far. She'd gotten a lot of presents, which would've made it an awesome birthday for most other kids; but not her. She'd gotten two each from each of her brothers, but the majority had come from her father. She still refused to call him that; she'd only opened the presents because the twins wanted to see what she'd gotten. Harvey was still the man's pride and joy, and Mark was still as self-centered as he was back when he was a baby.**_

 _ **And much to her father's dismay, Samantha still continued to practice the martial arts her mother had taught her. She did so constantly, and if he punished her for it, she'd still do it. He tried enrolling her in ballet; she only made it one day because she'd punched a girl who had made her angry. He tried to get her into the Pixies; she walked all the way back home after a few minutes because she hated how girly everyone there was. He tried buying clothes that he considered more appropriate for a girl; she would ignore them, and steal clothes she liked from Mark. School was often her only escape from her father and his beliefs that he knew what was best for her. Sitting up in the tree house, her arms wrapped around her legs and chin resting on her knees, Samantha missed her mom. She wished that her mom would come back, or at least visit. She didn't know that her father had made sure that all avenues and possibilities of Isabella ever seeing her kids while they were under his roof were nonexistent. She only knew that her mom was gone because of her father, and wasn't coming back because of him.**_

 _ **"Dad wants you to come inside," she heard Harvey call from the ground.**_

 _ **"He's not**_ **my** ** _dad," Samantha growled back._**

 _ **"Yes, he is," the dark-haired boy countered. "And he said to come inside."**_

 _ **"I'll come in when I damn well want to," the 11-year-old snapped.**_

 _ **"Don't make me come up there, Samantha," he commanded; or tried to.**_

 _ **"I'll send you right back down, Harvey," she replied sweetly.**_

 _ **"C'mon, sis!" she heard William say. "Wes and I want to play a game!"**_

 _ **"Then you two come on up," she told them. "I have some board games up here." That's when she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. Looking over, she saw a bright light up in the sky. And it wasn't just one color. "Hey!" she called down to her brothers. "Get up here! There's something you've gotta see!" All four of them scrambled up the ladder into the tree house, Harvey and Mark especially eager; after all, ever since their mom had left, Samantha very rarely wanted to share**_ **any** ** _experiences with them. Soon all five of the Gibbs kids were in the tree house staring out the window at the ball of light. It was in a rainbow of colors, and captured the attention of the kids. They watched as it seem to get brighter and brighter – and bigger. Samantha's eye widened as a horrifying realization stole over her._**

 _ **"Get out!" she shouted, snapping her brothers out of their daze.**_

 _ **"Huh?" William said at the same time Westley said, "Wha?"**_

 _ **"It's coming this way!" the raven-haired girl yelled, causing everyone's gaze to snap back to the approaching light. Even Harvey, who wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, realized what was happening and scrambled down the ladder.**_

 _ **"Jump!" he called up to his siblings, staying right under the hole. "I'll catch you!"**_

 _ **"Westley, William, go!" Samantha said, shoving the 7-year-old twins out. Harvey easily caught them both, and set them down before catching Mark.**_

 _ **"Samantha!" he yelled up. "Come on!" The girl took one last look at the window and realized something.**_

 _ **"It's too late," she whispered, a second before the multi-colored meteor slammed into the tree house.**_

 _ **Samantha didn't remember much after that. Just burning and screaming, punctuated by flashes of green light. When she woke up, she didn't know where she was or what was going on and started panicking. Then she heard a hissing sound followed by unconsciousness. The next time she woke up, she was in the same place she was before but this time she saw her father. And while she hated him, at least he was a familiar face.**_

 _ **"What the hell are you doing here?" she said groggily.**_

 _ **"What have I told you about your language, young lady?" he admonished her.**_

 _ **"I ain't no lady, dipshit," she countered, her words a bit slurred.**_

 _ **"Samantha," he said warningly.**_

 _ **"Asshole," she replied in the same tone.**_

 _ **"You're in a hospital," Robert told her, deciding to give up on arguing with his daughter about her language. "A meteor crashed into the backyard. All of you should be dead."**_

 _ **"You mean Harvey's still alive?" Samantha asked. She turned to one side and said, "Fuck."**_

 _ **"You're all lucky to be alive, especially him," her father said. "And you're all lucky that I managed to convince the government not to take you."**_

 _ **"What the flippin' fuck?" she asked, ignoring her father's glare at her language.**_

 _ **"The boys aren't normal anymore, and you're more unusual than ever," he snapped at her. "Whatever that meteor really was, it changed all of you."**_

 _ **For the first time since she woke up, Samantha looked at herself. Her pale skin, exactly like her mother's, now had a pale greenish tint to it.**_

 _ **"This wouldn't have happened if you had just done what you were told," Robert scolded the girl. Her eyes widened as she continued to stare at her hands.**_ **He** ** _was blaming this on_ her _? How was a rainbow-colored meteor crashing into the backyard_ her _fault? As she watched, her hands clenched into fists, seemingly of their own accord. Green fire slowly began flickering around them, making her father begin edging back._**

 _ **"I didn't want this to happen," she said softly, but the anger in her voice making it seem like she was a hellhound growling. How**_ **dare** ** _he blame this on her?! "I just wanted to be left alone. To be away from_ you _! I only want to be who I am, not the fucking 'perfect girl'_ you _want me to be!" Robert Gibbs was at the door, trying frantically to get out, when Samantha's hands burst into plasma fire. "I hate you!"_**

 _Middleton, Walker Residence_

Bonnie was spending more time at Tara's house than her own. She and the blond weren't officially dating yet, but that didn't matter to either of them. Tara's parents loved having Bonnie around, and had no issues with the fact that their daughter was a lesbian. As long as she was happy, they didn't care what gender she dated. Right now the two girls were in Tara's room, talking about what had happened yesterday.

"I hope Rebecca will be okay," Bonnie said, surprising the other girl.

"Really?" Tara asked. "Why? I mean, you _did_ seduce her girlfriend, and probably ruined their relationship."

"Yeah, I know," the brunette admitted. "That's why I'm worried about both of them. I don't know what's going on with Rebecca, but . . . what if it's my fault somehow?"

"How?" the blond wanted to know.

"I don't know. Maybe she caught something during that week she was missing," Bonnie said, worry coating her tone. "I mean, Kim was . . . I don't know, totally out of it or something during that week. That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been such a selfish bitch. As usual."

"Bon-bon, you're not a selfish bitch," Tara said, placing a reassuring hand on the tan girl's knee.

"I was. After all, I wanted Kim, and I made sure to do what I could to get her. Hell, I didn't even care that she was dating someone else, or that they were more than just girlfriends. I still want to be Kim's friend, and maybe Rebecca's. That is, if neither of them kicks my ass so hard that I'll end up in orbit around Saturn."

"There's only one way to find out, Bon-bon," the blond told her. "I imagine they're still at the hospital. Let's go visit, and see how Kim's doing."

"She never wants to see me again, Tara," the brunette reminded her.

"A familiar face might be good for her."

"Yeah, as a punching bag."

"Bonnie. It happened. You can't change that. Whether or not you're forgiven for that, you can only find out by seeing her again." Tara pulled Bonnie into a hug. "And no matter what, you'll always have me." Bonnie returned her hug.

"Go out with me? Officially, you know?" the brunette whispered.

"I'd have to be a guy to say no," the blond agreed in the same voice.

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

"Rebecca!" Kim cried out, snapping awake and jerking upright. She barely managed to catch herself before she fell out of the chair she was in. She was covered in a cold sweat, and her hair was clinging to the back of her neck. For a moment she saw nothing but the vestiges of her nightmare, though her eyes were wide open. Her chest was heaving up and down as she tried to breathe. She nearly jumped to the ceiling when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Easy, Kim," Ellen said, smiling gently at the redhead. "It's okay, you were just having a nightmare."

"It . . . it felt so real," Kim murmured, reaching up to brush the tears from her eyes. It had been beyond horrific to her.

"They usually do," the brunette agreed.

"Rebecca had . . . she'd died," the redhead whispered. "She died and . . . and I was left all alone. I never got to speak to her again, tell her how sorry I was for what I'd done, how much she really means to me."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Ellen said, sitting down next to her and pulling the younger girl into a hug. "You'll get a chance to tell her all of that."

"How do you know?" Kim asked, desperate for any kind of hope.

"I don't know," the older woman admitted. "But I have faith. I used to date Samantha, way back before she became a villain. I'd first met her before she became a hero, and we hit it off right away. She wasn't straight, but was confused as to what she was. And she was dealing with the fact that she had super powers and everyone else considered her a freak. But that's why I have faith. She didn't let anyone or anything stop her from going after what she wanted. Except one time, and it turned out to be the only mistake she ever really made that couldn't be fixed."

"And that's why you have faith?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah. Samantha will make it, and so will Rebecca. What you did . . . well, it was bad. Can't deny that. But remember that Rebecca did come to rescue you from those monkey morons without a second thought. So she still loves you. Samantha and I patched things up during our efforts to get her revenge on you for that tower thing. It took us years, though, since I had spent all of our time apart sitting in jail plotting my revenge against her and Team Go. My point, though, is that there is still obviously love between the two of you, and that you're both still _in_ love with the other. Things can never go back to what they were before, but if you both work together you can make it past all of this and come out stronger than ever."

"Thanks," Kim said, sniffling a bit. Before Ellen could acknowledge that, there was a knock on the gallery's door, then Ann Possible poked her head in.

"Kimmie?" she asked.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Bonnie's here."

"What?" Kim asked, not sure she'd heard right.

"Bonnie's here," Ann repeated. "With Tara. She wants to speak to you."

"Go on," Ellen told her. Kim looked at her like she was beyond insane. "Look, you need closure with Bonnie. Talk to her about what had happened, move past it. Because as long as that remains unresolved, it'll be a major block in your efforts to fix things with Rebecca."

"Okay," the redhead agreed. She got up, hugging the brunette one more time, and walked over to her mom. "Where is she at?"

"Emergency room's waiting area," Ann told her daughter as the two walked down the hall. "You do know that we had to remove Rebecca's battle suit in order to prep her for what's going on now, right?"

"Yeah," Kim said slowly, wondering why her mother was bringing that up.

"Well, I found something in one of the suit's pockets after taking it off of her," the older redhead said, reaching into one of her labcoat's pockets and pulling out a small box. She handed to her daughter, who took it with a puzzled expression. She opened up the box and nearly dropped it in shock. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. The chain looked to be made of pure platinum, and it held a ruby the size of her pinky's nail that was flanked by a pair of serendibite stones. Kim wasn't a gemologist, but even she knew that serendibite was an extremely rare gemstone. She'd actually stopped when she saw what was in the box. After staring for a while at the impossible gift, the redhead finally noticed the card in the box's top. She pulled it out, and read what was on it:

 _Kim, I'm sorry for the fighting we'd done. I will always love you, no matter what. This necklace may seem expensive and all, but without you it's nothing at all. Just like me. ~Rebecca_

Kim wanted to just burst into tears at the fresh heartbreak that ripped through her. How could she have done anything to hurt someone who cared so much for her? Without a second's hesitation she took the necklace from the box and went to put it on. Her mom held her hair out of the way so she could do it.

"I don't deserve her," Kim murmured. "How could someone love me _that much_?"

"Some things can't be explained, Kimmie," Ann told her. "All you can do is accept it, and try to do the same in return." She smiled and pulled her daughter into a hug. "Now, let's go meet Bonnie and see why she's here."

Bonnie was as nervous as a cat in a rocking chair factory. Tara was sitting in the chair next to her, trying to keep her girlfriend calm. A thrill ran through her whenever she thought of Bonnie as her girlfriend; it was a dream come true. But right now she focused on trying to keep the other girl from panicking and shooting out the doors. She knew she had to do this, but she was terrified of what might happen. After all, she was now at a hospital. She wouldn't be far from emergency help if Kim decided to beat the tar out of her. Much too soon for her, though, Kim came into the ER's waiting area. It wasn't hard for the redhead to spot Bonnie; she was the only one looking like a death row inmate. She was a bit surprised to see Tara with the brunette, but was far more surprised by how the two were acting. It looked as though the two were girlfriends in the same way that she and Rebecca had been (and would hopefully one day be again). That was confirmed when the blond leaned over and planted an very affectionate kiss on the brunette's cheek. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, but unsure of how she'd react, Kim walked over to them. Bonnie, of course, saw her coming and wanted shoot out of the room at lightspeed, but Tara kept her from springing out of her seat.

"Before you say anything, Kim, can I?" Tara asked when the redhead got over to them. Receiving the other girl's nod, she went on. "I don't know what you're thinking or feeling right now, and I can't imagine what things must have been like over the past week or so. But I want you to know that Bonnie has beaten herself, mentally, far worse than you could do physically. I can't say that she didn't know what she was doing, since she did, but she wasn't aware of everything about it. She didn't . . . it wasn't her intention to ruin things between you and Rebecca. She . . . well, she wanted you and ignored anything that didn't help her achieve that."

"I'm sorry," Bonnie interrupted, giving into the tears that she'd been trying to hold back. "I am so, so, so sorry, Kim. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She didn't get to say anymore because Kim had yanked her up to her feet – and then pulled her into a hug.

"I forgive you," the redhead whispered, prompting a smile from Tara and more tears from Bonnie.

 _ **Flashback – Samantha, Age 14**_

 _ **Once again, she was alone. It had been three years since she and her brothers had gained super powers, and things were even harder than they'd been before. The whole year right after the incident, all five of them had been poked and prodded by scientists and doctors. Robert Gibbs's political connections had kept the five of them from being carted off to a secret government research facility to be studied, dissected, and studied some more. Scientists and doctors had drawn blood from all of them, but especially Samantha; after all, she was a living and breathing plasma generator. Her powers weren't exactly emotionally-based, but intense anger**_ **did** ** _seem to involuntarily trigger her plasma. She'd always been kind of considered a freak and a weirdo by kids at school; now she looked like a freak according to everyone else, anyway. Unlike Harvey, William, and Westley, she and Mark couldn't 'turn off' their 'Glow,' as Harvey called it. His skin had become as pale as hers, but with a light lavender tint rather than the mint green tint hers had. And while he was still self-centered enough that being teased didn't bother him at all – ironically, both girls_ and _guys found his skin tone fairly appealing – Samantha actually liked being around anyone she could tolerate. She'd gotten into a lot of fights after going back to school (she made sure to win, too, since she never wanted to see another white labcoat or needle ever again), which didn't make things easier for her politically-conscious father. He'd promised people that as long as his children weren't taken away to a secret government facility, he'd find a positive use for their powers. One agency in particular seemed pretty interested in the Gibbs children, especially Samantha: Global Justice. She'd met the organization's leader, Betty Director, once. The woman had had only one eye – the other being covered with an eyepatch – and that made her cool to the young girl. She always seemed to apologize to Samantha, too, about what was going on. The cyclopean woman had even admitted to doing everything she could to keep the kids out of any kind of research/testing facility as a favor to someone special, though she wouldn't say who; her tone of voice let Samantha know that it wasn't her father. She'd even smoothed over any incidents that occurred with the pale-skinned girl and her 'violent eruptions' since being allowed to resume a 'normal' life._**

 _ **"Penny for your thoughts?" came a voice from her left, shattering her increasingly morose thoughts. Samantha looked over and say a tan-skinned girl with beautiful brown hair standing over her. She was currently sitting under a tree at Go City Middle School, enjoying the fact that no one was bothering her. Until now.**_

 _ **"Fuck off," she growled. The dangerous tone of her voice had always convinced anyone talking to her to back off. But not this girl, whoever she was; she just sat down right next to her.**_

 _ **"Don't be like that," the girl said, smiling. "We outcasts gotta stick together."**_

 _ **"What the hell makes you think I'm an outcast?" Samantha snapped, feeling her anger rise.**_

 _ **"Besides the fact that you're over here all by yourself?" the girl asked. "It's the fact that everyone in this school was pretty damned determined to make sure I never came near you."**_

 _ **"That's because I want to be alone."**_

 _ **"You can't lie to me."**_

 _ **"It isn't a lie."**_

 _ **"Well, make me leave, then," the girl told her. And to Samantha's surprise, she found that she didn't want to. "Besides, a lot of people call me a freak and I don't want to be around them."**_

 _ **"How the hell can you be a freak?" Samantha asked. "You're-"**_

 _ **"Normal?" the girl asked. "The hell I am. Unless being a lesbian is normal. Well, for me it is, anyway." She smiled at her companion's shocked look. "What? I like girls the same way a lot of boys do, and I'm not afraid to admit it. And just because you've got greenish skin doesn't make**_ **you** ** _a freak." Samantha lit up her hands, the plasma surrounding only her hands (she was proud of the control she'd managed to get over her volatile powers)._**

 _ **"Oh, wow," the girl said, visibly impressed – but not frightened. "That is**_ **so** ** _cool!"_**

 _ **"Really?" the raven-haired asked, surprised by that reaction.**_

 _ **"Fuck yeah!" the girl agreed. "Oh, um, I forgot to introduce myself. Ellen Dechenes."**_

 _ **"Samantha Gibbs," Samantha replied. "So, uh, you're . . . um, gay?"**_

 _ **"And proud of it," Ellen said smugly.**_

 _ **"I don't know what I am," the pale-skinned girl muttered.**_

 _ **"Don't know how to figure it out?" the brunette asked, getting a headshake in reply. "Well, it's not really something you can choose, you know. It's part of who you are. Some people know it right away, others have to discover it. And it doesn't matter about the orientation, you know. After all, straight people don't choose to be straight; they're born that way, and the same goes for all of the other orientations."**_

 _ **"You're pretty smart," Samantha said, impressed both with the girl**_ **and** ** _how at ease she felt around her._**

 _ **"I'm a bit of tech-head, too," Ellen admitted, blushing.**_

 _ **"A what?"**_

 _ **"I seem to have a skill or knack with machines," the brunette explained. "Doesn't matter what it is; if it's electronic, I can take it apart and reassemble it. Or even make it into something else."**_

 _ **"That is ferociously cool," the pale-skinned girl said, smiling.**_

 _ **"Want to be friends?" the other girl asked.**_

 _ **"I haven't had one," Samantha said sadly. "Not really."**_

 _ **"Well, now you have one." With that, Ellen kissed her new friend on the cheek, surprising her and making her heart flutter a bit. She didn't know what the future would hold, but it didn't seem like she'd have to face it alone.**_

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Isabella checked the observation gallery and noticed that only Ellen was in there. She assumed that Kim had woken up and been taken to get something to eat or something. It had been over twelve hours since the procedure had started – over twenty-four, actually, if she'd bothered to pay attention to the time. The fact that Rebecca was still breathing and showing a steady (if low) pulse were good indications that it was working. In fact, over the past four hours she'd noticed a marginal but steady increase in her youngest daughter's vital signs. She slowed down the flow of blood from Samantha, so as to make sure the younger woman didn't lose too much more now. The influx of fresh DNA that was nearly 100% like her own allowed Rebecca's natural (and plasma-boosted) healing ability to kick in and begin manufacturing new, healthier cells and repair damaged ones. Her temperature had risen as her body heated up to burn out foreign or dead matter, which made the pale-skinned woman thankful that she'd insisted upon fireproof coverings for everything. Rebecca wasn't out of the woods yet, but it did look like there was hope after all. _That's my girls_ , she thought looking between her two daughters. _Just hold on for a few hours more, and everything will be alright._ She knew Betty had been in and out of the observation gallery a few times, checking on her; after all, she'd been up for quite a while already (even if she didn't know how long that was). But nothing – not even her own exhaustion and physical condition – would make her leave this room until both of her daughters were alive and healthy. _It's a sure thing that Rebecca's collapse in school has been reported to the media somehow_ , Isabella thought. _Especially since she's also a part of Team Possible. Which means that, sooner or later, I'll be dealing with Robert Gibbs._ A scowl crossed her face. _I've come a long way since that day, and I'll be damned to hell and beyond if I let him do anything to my family – and let him get away with it if he does._

 _Go City, Mayor's Office_

"Jack Hench's office, now," Robert Gibbs said into the phone in his office. His secretary immediately ensured that the call went through with all speed.

 _"HenchCo,"_ came a voice the politician knew well.

"Jack? It's Robert," he said.

 _"Nice to hear from you again. Last time I did, it was back during your divorce."_

"I assume you know, or have at least guessed, as to why I'm calling."

 _"Need my help again, don't you?"_

"Not as extensively as last time, old friend," Robert explained.

 _"Well, I do owe you quite a bit for your help in getting my company set up, so just tell me what you need."_

"Do you have anything for mind control?"

 **E/N:** Looks like we got more flashbacks in this chapter, as well as appearances by the least likely of people. Bonnie's visited Kim and – shockingly – been forgiven by the redhead. We get to see a bit more of Samantha's past, as well as how she and Ellen (who becomes Electronique) met. And we also learn that Robert Gibbs – Shego's father – helped Jack Hench set up HenchCo and is now after mind control devices! Wtf, right?

So while Rebecca seems to be showing some improvement, will it be enough? Will Kim be alright, and why did she forgive Bonnie? Is Robert Gibbs a villain, or just a politician who will do anything to keep his position? And just what does Will Du think of Ron now? Gotta keep reading to find out, so look out for the next chapter of Red Flame, "Thanksgiving."


	23. Chapter 23

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Figured for this chapter I'd have something positive happen, and slow down a bit on the tragedy stuff.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 23 – Thanksgiving**

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital_

Isabella couldn't believe it. She checked and rechecked all of the machines several times, but the indications weren't wrong. With tears gathering in her eyes, she began disconnecting the IVs and catheters, setting them on a tray nearby and bandaging up the spots where they'd been. _So many other things could've happened_ , she thought. _There were so many factors, so many unknowns, involved in this._ She let out a sigh – then reached over to ruffle the hair on Rebecca's head. _But I'm glad to see that you made it, little Firefly._ It had really been touch-and-go, with a lot of hope and prayer thrown in, but both of her daughters were alive and would make it. She knew that both Ellen and Kim would be happy to learn that their respective girlfriends would survive, though she would make sure – by whatever means were needed – that both plasma-wielders would need time to recover. She'd extrapolated and theorized – and even ran tests using DNA samples from her – that it would take a fresh influx of original DNA to restore Rebecca's genetic structure after an unraveling, but she hadn't anticipated a cellular collapse. Of course, to be fair, she hadn't known that someone could invent a device that would remove 'alien' DNA from a human body, nor did she anticipate mystical energies being involved later on. After making sure both of her daughters were resting comfortably, she went over and shut off the SLEEP device. Both of them would remain unconscious, though, until the effect wore off – like people usually do when they fall asleep. Looking up at the only occupied observation gallery, she noted that both Ellen and Kim were asleep in their seats, and Betty and Ann were watching her. She gave the women two thumbs ups, along with a huge grin. She could almost literally see the tension leaving her wife's body, and Ann's shoulders relax with relief. Isabella activated her comm button and got some nurses (if she was into guys she'd've been drooling over the pair that came in) to come in and wheel her daughters to a pair of empty rooms that were side-by-side. That actually wasn't planned, that was just how things worked out. She walked out of the operating theater, but didn't follow after her daughters; instead, she went to find her wife and have her take them to a hotel so she could get some sleep.

Ann nudged her daughter awake as Isabella left the room below. Kim jerked up and sputtered, making her mom chuckle. The younger redhead dashed to the window and looked down, but saw no one in there. When she looked at her mom, confusion and panic forming on her face, Ann just smiled and nodded. Kim started crying and hugged her mom, unable to hide her relief and joy.

"I was so scared I'd lose her again, Mom," Kim sobbed.

"I know, Kimmie, I know," Ann said, hugging her daughter back. "But . . . you still have get her back, you know. Things aren't going to be easy for the two of you now."

"I betrayed her trust and hurt her badly," the younger redhead agreed. She pulled back and looked up at her mom. "Do you think it's possible for me to get her trust and love back?"

"While anything is possible for a Possible," her mom replied, quoting the family motto, "I can't really say on that. You never lost her love, because she _did_ go and rescue you right after hearing you'd been taken. Trust . . . that's harder to get back after it's been lost."

"I'll do whatever I have to do to make things right," Kim said.

"And if that means letting her go?" Ann asked.

"Then . . . then I'll do it," the teen answered softly. "It'll hurt me for the rest of my life, but if that's what I have to do to make things right . . . then I'll do it."

"I don't think things will come to that," Ellen said, having been woken up by her girlfriend's mother. She walked over to the two redheads and put a hand on Kim's shoulder as the younger woman turned to more fully face her. "Maybe I'm an optimist, since things worked out between me and Samantha, but I believe that you and Rebecca will be alright. There'll be a level of tension and distrust between you two, but based on what I've seen things will be alright."

"You've got an uphill fight, Kimberly," Betty told her as the four left the room. "But if she's worth it to you, then it's a fight you have to win." Everyone was silent as they headed through the hospital to meet up with Isabella in one of the waiting rooms. When they finally found the one she was in, she was putting the doctor in charge of the hospital in his place (from her perspective) because the man was furious, or at least mildly irritated, about the fact that there was no record of the procedure she'd performed. He tried to argue that the knowledge could be beneficial one day, and she pointed out that it would only be beneficial in highly specific and extremely rare (as in non-existent) cases; plus, since she was the leading scientist in Global Justice, and Rebecca's specific genetic and medical details were highly classified, anything dealing with her was also classified. Her other daughter, Samantha, was a Global Justice Specialist-class Agent and therefore her personal details were also highly classified. So the doctor was roadblocked by legal, medical, and Isabella procedures. The raven-haired woman noticed the approaching group and immediately dismissed the doctor, walking over to meet them.

"They're still sleeping," she said, preempting the questions that would come from Kim and Ellen's mouths. "Samantha has to build her blood levels back up, so she'll be weak for at least three or four days – and that _is_ takin into account her boosted physiology." She glanced over at the redhead. "As for Rebecca, it's a bit more complicated since I never anticipated this kind of possibility. The blood donated by her sister was enough to reverse the cellular collapse, but it will take time for her to be as active as she used to."

"I didn't mean for this to happen," Kim said, looking down at her feet. She was a bit surprised when she felt Isabella cup her chin and lift her head back up.

"You weren't responsible for her collapse, Kim," the older woman told her. "It could've happened at any time, as the weapon developed by Ellen had already weakened her genetic code. She'll need you." Her expression hardened a bit. "I don't appreciate what you did to her. She expressed her concerns to you, and you ignored them because you didn't believe her."

"And I allowed to happen what she was worried would happen," the redhead replied. "By breaking her heart like that, I broke my own. I can only promise to never allow that to happen again, though words are nothing since actions indicate the truth."

"I believe you, Kim," Isabella said, nodding. "Which is why I'm going to leave all of this up to you and Rebecca. But I'm telling you now," she added, looking at Kim's mom, "that if you break her heart again, no force on Earth – or anywhere else – will stop me from coming after you." Kim swallowed hard, and nodded. With that, she led the way to the rooms where Samantha and Rebecca were. Betty said she had to get back to GJ to deal with the situation that was probably building right now and said her good-byes. Isabella nodded and gave her wife a kiss before leading Ellen into her girlfriend's room, while Ann took Kim into the room that the raven-haired woman indicated was Rebecca's. The younger redhead entered the room by herself, as Ann wanted to give the two time alone – even though Rebecca was currently sleeping. She sat down in the chair next to her girlfriend's bed and just looked at her. Things weren't going to go back to the way they were, she knew that. But she didn't want to lose the one person she truly loved again.

"I'm so sorry, Rebecca," Kim said softly, placing a hand on her girlfriend's nearest hand. "I know that I messed up big time, and neither of us will forget what happened. I'm sure you'd tell me that what happened wasn't my fault, but it was. If I had actually talked things out with you instead of brushing aside your concerns, maybe none of this would've happened. You know, when you ran out of my room that day, I slapped Bonnie. I'd've slapped myself, but you'd already covered that." She chuckled at that before sobering up. "I can never take back what I did, and nothing I can do would ever make up for that – even if I'm 'the girl who can do anything.' I wish I knew what to do now, though."

"You're wearing . . . the necklace," Rebecca said, startling Kim. Her eyes snapped up to meet the orange gaze of the other girl.

"You're . . . awake?" Kim asked.

"Well, doy," the ivory-toned girl replied, smiling faintly, bringing a smile to the redhead's face. Kim looked like she was about to say something, but stopped when the other girl began speaking again. "I feel like I'm about to pass out again, so can I speak?" Kim nodded, so she continued. "You don't need to . . . apologize. I should have just trusted you, and been there for you."

"I don't deserve to be trusted," the redhead said. "Not anymore."

"We'll discuss that later," Rebecca told her before yawning.

"I'll let you sleep now," Kim said, feeling tears gather in her eyes. "And . . . the necklace is totally spankin'."

"Without you . . . it's just stones and metal," the red/black-haired girl said, then closed her eyes and went back to sleep. As the redhead watched her girlfriend rest, she couldn't help but feel like she didn't deserve someone like Rebecca – and that Rebecca didn't deserve someone who could do what she had done to the ivory-toned girl. _At least we've made a start_ , Kim thought. _Hopefully we can recapture the closeness we had before._

 _Middleton, Middleton General Hospital (Early October)_

Ron looked over as the door to his room opened and Will Du walked in. It had been nearly a month since he'd gotten his ass kicked by Kim's girlfriend and wound up in the hospital under guard by Global Justice. During that time, Will Du had been a frequent visitor though the blond couldn't understand why. The black-haired man never really spoke, though often he seemed to try to say something.

"I, um, heard that you are almost well enough to be discharged," Will said, surprising Ron with his barely obvious nervousness.

"Well, the doctors say that while I'll soon be able to leave the hospital, I'm still not in any condition to actually leave a medical facility," Ron replied.

"You'd be transferred to a Global Justice medical facility to complete your recovery," the other guy said.

"There's a 'but' there, isn't there?"

"After you've fully recovered . . . you would be transferred to The Crate."

"The Crate?" Ron asked, confused.

"I've already broken regulations by telling you that much," Will answered. Then he looked Ron in the eyes. "But for you . . . I'll do it again. The Crate is Global Justice's ultra-secret prison facility for super villains and super criminals. Usually those with an extremely high risk-classification to global safety and security."

"Because of what I did?"

"Not just for kidnapping Miss Possible from the hospital, and injuring Agent Shaw, but for also working with Monty Fisk," the usually by-the-book agent said.

"Wait a minute," the blond said as something occurred to him. "You said that you'd break regulations for me? Why me?"

"I don't know if I should say, considering your track record with shocking news," Will explained. "You really weren't much of a friend to Miss Possible after she came out to you, and then your actions concerning her after returning were extreme, to say the least."

"I've loved her for years," Ron said, looking down at his lap. "It . . . it just seemed that us being together was, well, right. I mean, I was always there for her. Always had her back, stood at her side no matter what."

"That means that you should have kept standing at her side, even if her feelings for you weren't the same as the ones you thought you had," the black-haired young man replied. "You had a chance to step and be the friend she needed you to be – and you chose to turn your back on her before choosing to betray her."

"That's pretty deep of you," the blond said, surprised.

"I know I come off as stiff and by-the-book, but I am capable of emotions and deep thinking. I've been doing a lot of that since reports of your activities started coming into Global Justice."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Ron interrupted. "Are you saying that . . . you're gay?"

"Yes, I am, Ron," Will confirmed. "It's who I am. And you've probably figured out why I'm always visiting you, why I . . . I have a hard time talking to you, why it hurt so much that you became a villain." Ron's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open as he looked at the GJ agent. "It's okay, Ron," he went on. "I don't expect you to accept it or me, and if you don't want me around I'll understand. I'm the agent in charge of your case, by order of Doctor Director. She did it as a favor to me, although I can ask her to change that if I need to." He stood and walked to the door. After opening it, he paused for a moment. "I'll be back again to check on you in a few hours. Let me know then if you want a different agent," he added, then left.

 _Middleton, Possible Residence (Mid-October)_

Both Kim and Rebecca had had a lot of make up work because of the days they'd missed, but thanks to Bonnie and Tara they didn't have to collect it. Their was still tension between them, as neither was sure how to even really get past the elephant in the room. They talked, of course, but their conversations tended to skirt around the issue. Neither was sure how to broach the subject, and both were afraid of losing the other if it went from a discussion to an argument. So closing the rift between them was progressing slowly and hesitantly. Rebecca was, understandably, afraid of having her heart broken again while Kim wasn't so sure she deserved to be trusted again. So they seemed to unintentionally decide to ignore what was between them and try to move forward. But that was akin to trying to start up a car with a nearly dead battery. Even James Possible could see that things weren't really progressing between the two girls, and mentioned so to his wife. Ann decided to take matters into her own hands, and came up with a plan; she'd talk to both girls one-on-one. She decided to start with Rebecca, and sent Kim off to pick up some things for dinner that night. Her sons were actually laying low, as they were both unsure of how either girl would react right now to their usual shananigans, and James was working at the space center. Rebecca had been confused when Ann insisted that Kim could manage the shopping on her own, and was a bit more so when the elder Possible female called her into the den.

"Go ahead and sit down, Rebecca," Ann said, motioning to the couch. The teen hesitantly sat down, wondering just what was going on.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" she asked.

"That depends on how we define trouble," the older redhead replied.

"I'm not sure I understand, Missus Possible."

"I won't dance around the point, then," Ann said, leaning forward a bit. "I know that you and Kim are trying to work through things and resume the level of intimacy you had before. And I know that it isn't working."

"We've . . . made some progress," Rebecca replied, her tone very uncertain.

"I'll agree that the fact you two are talking to each other nicely is progress, but it isn't much at all. Neither of you has actually sat down and talked about the intercourse that nearly happened between Kim and Bonnie." And right then, the wound in Rebecca's heart and soul was ripped wide open. The thoughts and feelings she'd buried came rushing up through her consciousness and she looked down at her hands, her shoulders slumping. "You can't work past the problem if you don't talk about it, Rebecca," Ann told her gently, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Love is hard, and forgiveness is harder. Kim betrayed your trust, both of you know that, but neither of you seems willing to address the issue. Ignoring it won't make it go away, and will in fact just make reconciling even harder – if not impossible."

"It just hurts so much," Rebecca whispered, tears falling down her face. "I love her, and I'm _in_ love with her. But it's just . . . every time I look at her, the memories of what I saw flash through my mind. And each time it's like a knife is twisting in my heart." She looked up at Ann, the pain and anguish easily visible on her face. "I want to forgive her, to get close to her again, but each time I try to I can't help but remember that I gave her my heart, my love, and . . . and she just . . . cast it aside." She took a shuddering breath and went on. "I know that I'm to blame, too, since I just kept arguing with her about what was going on, instead of just talking with her about it."

"You know, Rebecca, you should tell Kim all of that," the redhead told her. "She'll be back shortly, though I'll be talking to her first. I have a feeling that, if the two of you can work past this, it'll probably be the biggest obstacle you both will encounter in your relationship." Ann smiled as an idea occurred to her. "Halloween's coming up, and I know that the school always has a costume party. Why don't you and Kim plan out a couples' costume? It would be a good bonding experience for the two of you."

"Alright," Rebecca said, wiping the tears off of her face and smiling a little. "It . . . it can't hurt to try, right?"

"Not at all, dear," Ann assured her. "Why don't you go up to Kim's room for some alone time? And don't try to talk yourself out of talking with her. I'll send her up there after I'm done talking with her."

"Yes, ma'am," the ivory-toned girl agreed, and went to do as her girlfriend's mom had suggested. Ann occupied herself in the den while waiting for Kim to return by going through the medical reports she was reviewing at home. A bit later she heard the front door open and close, then heard her daughter grumbling about long lines and barely-trained cashiers. Chuckling, she called out, "Just set the groceries on the table for now, Kim. I need to talk to you in the den for a moment."

When Kim came in, Ann immediately noticed the guilty expression on her daughter's face.

"You're going to talk to me about Rebecca, aren't you?" the younger redhead asked, preempting her mom.

" _Both_ of you, actually," the elder redhead corrected. "I know you're an intelligent young woman, Kim, so I don't understand how you can be so stupid right now." Kim's jaw dropped open at her mom's words; she couldn't believe that she'd say such a thing. "You and Rebecca haven't talked at all about what's going on."

"We've talked," Kim replied defensively, still hurt about being called stupid by her own mom.

"About things that don't matter at all," Ann said. "Safe things. Things both of you know won't rock the boat. Unfortunately for the two of you, that boat is either sinking or is adrift. There's an elephant in the room, and yet neither of you wants to admit it."

"Way to pull out the metaphors, Mom," her daughter said.

"I hope that wasn't sarcasm, Kimberly," Ann responded warningly. "You're both trying to avoid talking about your lustful actions with Bonnie." And, again, the elder Possible woman yanked the bandage right off. Kim's face just crumbled as memories flooded her mind and her face flushed with shame and self-loathing.

"How can I just bring that up?" the younger redhead asked morosely. "I don't want to hurt her again."

"You're hurting any chances your relationship has of surviving by not bringing it up," the older redhead pointed out. "By leaving it alone, by ignoring it, you're laying the groundwork for something like that to happen again. It'll poison any chance of a future the two of you have because it'll leave Rebecca wondering if you would do something like that again, and you'll eventually come to convince yourself that she won't truly care about you again. Do you see where I'm going with this, Kim?"

"It's all my fault anyway," Kim said, unable to meet her mom's eyes. "If I had just listened to her, accepted her worries as valid, then I wouldn't have wound up attempting to screw Bonnie. Even if she did push herself on me. I didn't resist, nor did I really try to stop her. I kept brushing away or outright ignoring what she was saying, or we'd end up fighting about it, and I just pushed myself away from her. It doesn't matter that I didn't realize I was doing it at the time; all that matters is that I _was_ doing it. She stopped showing interest in me, because of my own actions, and I nearly jumped into bed with the first girl to hit on me. How can I be forgiven for that? For betraying the one person I truly can't live without?"

"By talking with her about it," Ann explained, reaching out to pull her daughter into a hug. "It'll hurt to talk about this, but it won't hurt as bad as it will if you both ignore it. This is something that _has_ to be discussed between the two of you. It's the only way your relationship will have even a chance of hope."

"You're right, Mom," Kim agreed.

"She's up in your room," her mom said, seeing the question forming on daughter's face. Kim nodded and give her mom a quick hug before heading upstairs. When she went into her room, memories came flooding back when she saw Rebecca sitting on her bed. The first one was of when she nearly had sex with Bonnie, but it was soon followed by happier memories. Not just the times she and Rebecca had had sex, but the times when they'd just lain in that bed and talked. As the memories washed over her, Rebecca looked over and saw her. She stood up and walked over to her girlfriend. They just stood there for a moment, staring into each other's eyes, before simultaneously moving into a warm embrace. They hadn't really hugged each other since before Kim had started tutoring Bonnie, and only now did they realize just how much they'd missed the feeling. Neither wanted it to end, but both knew that they had something they needed to talk about. Without a word, they walked over to Kim's bed and sat down on the edge of it. While they weren't touching each other, they were a lot closer (physically speaking) than they'd been since Rebecca got out of the hospital.

"Can I go first?" Rebecca said into the silence. When Kim nodded, she took a deep breath and tried to start, but it took her a couple more breaths to be able to begin. "I was sitting on a bench in the park that day," she started off. "Feeling sad and depressed. Wishing we hadn't been fighting. Then a little girl came up to me. Rachel. That little girl made me feel stupid because she realized something that I didn't. That if I really loved you I wouldn't let our arguments and fights come between us." Suddenly, the ivory-toned girl flushed in embarrasment. "I completely forgot her parents wanted me to babysit for them sometime; I hope they're not disappointed with me."

"I'm sure they'll understand," Kim said soothingly. "But . . . go on. I know that . . . that you need to."

"Thanks," her girlfriend said gratefully. "So, after that little talk, I went to the mall to pick out a gift. Something that would express how sorry I was about everything, and tell you that I do love you." She smiled as Kim reached up to touch the necklace. "My sister insisted on buying it, since I didn't have near enough to get it. If it wasn't able to say what words couldn't, I did have that card in there. I was thinking that maybe the card and necklace would at least open the door for us to talk through things. When I got back, your mom told me you were in your room with Bonnie working on your history reports. I was going to go ahead and give you the gift, right there in front of her, but . . . when I walked in . . . I had trouble processing what I was seeing. My eyes did see it, but my brain couldn't grasp it. Y-You were there, with only your bra covering you from the waist up, and Bonnie was only dressed from the waist down. You were both kissing each other, and your hands were fondling each other." Rebecca took a deep, shuddering breath, and felt like she was about to suffocate, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over and smiled at Kim, thankful for the unspoken support. "Even now, I can't describe how hurt I was at that time. You're the only one I can imagine being with, and what I saw just about killed me."

"I never wanted that to happen," Kim said, when it looked like Rebecca was done speaking. "I was just . . . I didn't want to believe that Bonnie would want to do that, because I've never made a secret of how much I love you, or of how close we were. Since I refused to believe that that was happening, I . . . I convinced myself that you were imagining things because you didn't like Bonnie at all. And every time you tried to tell me, I refused to believe you. And I just ended up allowing things to turn into arguments, driving a wedge between us. And then when Bonnie and I were working on our history reports, she came onto me aggressively. Too aggressively. I was being touched and affected in a way that had been missing the entire time I was tutoring her. Feelings I had become used to while being with you, and that had been ignored because of our arguments. I was too wrapped up in what I was feeling, in satisfying that carnal, lustful desire, that I wasn't aware of what it all actually meant. And then you came in and I saw everything that I had done reflected in your eyes. When you slapped me, I was ashamed that I was still _alive_ , never mind conscious. And as you ran, realiztion stole over me and I snapped at Bonnie. After she'd left, and Mom had come up, I just . . . shut down completely. I had no reason to keep going, because I'd destroyed the one thing that had saved me."

As Kim stopped talking, both girls felt as though a weight had been lifted off of them. The tension that had been there was gone. And though neither was ready to try again for the level of intimacy that they'd had before, they knew that they had passed a major milestone. Kim and Rebecca found themselves hugging, hope for the future starting to grow in their still-wounded, but now healing, hearts. After a while of just enjoying the embrace, Rebecca pulled back and gave a small smile.

"Your mom told me that the school does a Halloween party every year," she said.

"Yeah, they do," Kim replied. "I usually help plan it, but . . . well, things have been going on lately. Why?"

"Well, um, I was thinking that, uh, maybe we could go? Together?" Rebecca asked, starting to ramble. Kim chuckled at her girlfriend's behavior.

"I wouldn't go with anyone else," the redhead told her.

"Can we do themed costumes?" the ivory-toned girl inquired.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Zoe and a female Wash?" Rebecca asked more than said. "You know, from Firefly?"

"Is that where you got your nickname from?" Kim teased, making her girlfriend blush. She hugged the other girl again and added, "That sounds like a spankin' idea."

 _Middleton, Possible Residence (Thanksgiving Day)_

It was a little over a month since Kim and Rebecca had talked, and their relationship had steadily improved with each passing day. It was almost like it had been back in the beginning, when they first met and started getting to know each other. The difficulty, in spite of coming to terms with what had happened, was in relearning to trust one another. In school, Bonnie was walking on eggshells around the couple, and sometimes Rebecca would feel a flash of fear in regards to Kim; she was afaid that Kim might try to become intimate with another girl. The redhead was always swift to reassure her girlfriend, and would always give her a gentle but loving kiss on the lips. She didn't care if it was labeled a 'public display of affection' or if she got in trouble for it; all that she cared about was letting her girlfriend know that she wasn't going to leave her. But over the intervening month, that fear had almost faded away. They were now sharing the same room again, and were even in the same bed; this time, it was Rebecca requesting Kim to stay with her to chase away the nightmares. Rebecca made sure to talk to her moms at least twice a week, and often once a day. Nana Possible even called to talk to her, checking to see how she was doing.

And now it was Thanksgiving Day, though not all of the Possible clan had been invited or was able to make it to Middleton. Some members of James's family didn't approve of Kim's sexuality and refused to associate with the Middleton Possibles. But Nana Possible was there, as was James's older brother Slim and Slim's daughter Joss. Joss still idolized Kim, of course; and after the adventure at Slim's ranch she had developed a crush on Ron. That had changed, of course, once she'd learned that Ron had become a villain and attempted to force Kim to be with him again. Now she was Kim's little shadow again, though she found herself admiring Rebecca just as much. Ann had cooked a fairly large spread this year, and Slim had arrived early enough in the day to help his sister-in-law with the cooking. Everyone, of course, knew to keep Kim out of the kitchen. What had surprised everyone was the Stoppables coming by; they'd been invited, of course, since they were always invited thanks to their childrens' friendship. But none of the Possibles had thought they would come this year because of what had happened with Ron. When they showed up, Kim had answered the door and gotten a heartfelt apology from her best friend's parents. They'd had a hard time believing their son was capable of such actions, and felt ashamed. Mrs Stoppable had admitted to being surprised at getting an invitation this year. Kim had assured them both that they would always be welcome, and that she hoped she and Ron would one day be friends again. Rebecca had agreed with that sentiment, surprising her girlfriend and everyone else. She'd shrugged and said that Kim had turned her into an optimist, drawing laughs from everyone. After dinner was ready and set on the table, and after everyone had washed up and sat down, it was time to give thanks.

"Rebecca?" Ann asked, looking at the girl. "Would you start things off?" The ivory-toned girl blushed as everyone turned to look at her.

"S-S-Sure," she stammered. Kim grabbed her girlfriend's hand and squeezed it to show her support. Rebecca smiled at her, and then looked around the table. "I, uh, I don't really know where to start," she admitted. "I have so many things to be thankful for this year. Until this summer, I'd never been out of the Global Justice building I'd grown up in. And on my first day out, I met the most beautiful woman in the world." Kim blushed at that. "I was thankful to have met her, too, as she helped me get to know the world itself by experiencing things instead of just reading about them. I suppose the most important thing I'm thankful for is the chance to love again. I know that I should be thankful to be alive, and I am, but I more grateful that I've been given another chance to be with the only person I can't imagine living without. I know that Kim and I had a really bad patch some time ago, but we worked past it by actually talking to each other and about the problem." She smiled, still having not taken her eyes off of her girlfriend. "So many things to be thankful for, and I can sum it all up by saying that I am thankful to have someone as wonderful and amazing as Kim Possible in my life."

"Here, here," Slim Possible said, smiling and nodding at the two blushing girls. Kim decided to speak now.

"I'm thankful for a lot of the same things that Rebecca is," she admitted. "I'm thankful that there's someone who loves me enough to give me a second chance I know I don't deserve. That I have a family who is firm and honest, but very supportive. I'm most thankful for Rebecca Shaw, the one person in the world that has truly accepted me, faults and all." The two girls shared a kiss, though they broke it apart when Jim and Tim started making gagging noises while everyone else clapped. As everyone else said what they were thankful for, Kim and Rebecca looked at each other and smiled. Though they still had a ways to go to restore their relationship, both felt that they were well on their way. Before anyone could tuck into the food, the doorbell rang. Ann got up and went to see who it was. When she got back, she had Isabella, Betty, Samantha, and Ellen with her. Rebecca's parents hadn't been sure if they would make it, though they had promised to try. They sat down next to their daughter, after greeting everyone else and making sure to give Kim a hug. The two women, though they had been kept up-to-date on the progress of Kim and Rebecca's relationship, were still overjoyed that the two girls were becoming close once again. Samantha and Ellen sat down near Kim's parents, as that was the only spot with enough space for the couple. They, too, were happy that Kim and Rebecca were back together. The Thanksgiving dinner wasn't a quiet affair, as conversations were going back and forth over various things between multiple people. Samantha found the story of Kim and Rebecca dressing up as Zoe and femWash adorable, and made sure to say so out loud, making the two younger girls blush. She admitted, too, that it was the first Thanksgiving she'd ever had since her parents had divorced. Though it hadn't been intended that way, the statement made Isabella flush in shame. Samantha noticed and was quick to reassure her mom that she had stopped celebrating a lot of holidays after that, because holidays were a time for happiness and she hadn't felt happy without having her mom in her life. That cheered up the older raven-haired woman and the conversations moved on. For everyone there, it was the best Thanksgiving any of them had had to that date."

 **E/N:** I have to say I like this chapter. So. Ron now knows that Will Du is gay, and has (possibly unrequited) feelings for him. Kim and Rebecca managed to talk about That Day thanks to intervention from Ann, and went to Middleton High's annual Halloween party dressed as two characters from one of the best sci-fi shows made. So things seem to be getting better for the young couple.

What will Rebecca and Kim do for Christmas? How did Ron react to Will's confession? And why is Drakken out of jail? Look for the answers in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Feeling the Christmas Spirit."


	24. Chapter 24

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Figured for this chapter I'd have something positive happen, and slow down a bit on the tragedy stuff.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 24 – Feeling the Christmas Spirit**

 _Middleton, Various Locations_

That period of school between the end of the Thanksgiving holiday week and the start of winter break passed by fairly fast for those involved. Though Kim and Rebecca had yet to go on a date again, or at least what they'd consider a date, they were spending time together again. A lot more time. Both Ann and James would sometimes come back home from work to find the two cuddled together on the couch, the TV watching them. There was still a bit of hesitation between them, but it was fading away as time moved on. It was the first weekend in December when Ann suggested the two girls go out and just spend the day wandering around, doing nothing more than spending time together. They readily agreed and went to Kim's room to change. Though when they got there they encountered a different kind of problem; they hadn't actually changed around each other, or even been in Kim's room as they were about to be, since That Day (and, yes, they did capitalize it in their minds). They stood there for a moment, looking at each other and trying to figure out what to do, when Rebecca said, "To hell with it," and began stripping out of her bed clothes. Kim had forgotten that her girlfriend liked to go commando under her pjs and soon found herself confronted with a sight she hadn't seen in months.

"Enjoying the view, Bubbles?" Rebecca asked with a smirk. Kim immediately blushed and heard her girlfriend giggle. Kim found herself feeling a rising urge to touch and caress the bared body standing before her. She really wanted to, and wasn't bothering to hide the desire; not that she could have if she tried.

"Yeah," she admitted quietly, trying unsuccessfully to keep her eyes above her girlfriend's collar bone. Rebecca walked over and pulled the redhead into a tender embrace.

"It's okay," the ivory-toned girl said softly.

"It is?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah. After all, I know I'm hot." With an exasperated groan, Kim pushed her laughing girlfriend back.

"Get dressed," Kim admonished, grinning. Smirking at her, Rebecca turned around and sensuously sauntered back to the closet, making sure to sway her hips just that extra bit. When she turned her head to look over her shoulder, she saw Kim staring at her with her mouth slightly open and a glazed look in her eyes.

"You're drooling, Bubbles," she told her, making Kim do a full-body blush (though most of it was hidden by her clothes). Chuckling, Rebecca turned back around and started looking through the closet to see what would be good to wear. She heard her girlfriend start going through the dresser shortly afterwards, and reasoned that the redhead had only stripped down to her undies. The ivory-toned teen had settled on a pair of black denim cargo pants, a dark maroon hoodie, and a button-up shirt with a red/black harlequinn pattern when she heard Kim ask, "So what do you think about this?" Turning around, Rebecca dropped the clothes – and her mouth – when she saw Kim holding a pair of blue thick cotton slacks, a light pink wool-lined sweater . . . and with absolutely nothing on. The ivory-toned girl's brain stopped working the moment she caught sight of her naked girlfriend, a sight that she had been missing for too long.

"Turnabout's fair play, Bombshell," the redhead said, smirking. And then Rebecca's brain jumpstarted and she chuckled.

"You got me there," she agreed. "What say we go ahead and get dressed, then?"

After leaving the house, the two girls decided to go to the park. On the way there they literally almost walked into Bonnie and Tara. For a moment the two couples stood there, not saying anything. Even though it seemed as though she'd been forgiven, the brunette was still afraid of how Rebecca would react to her. The ivory-toned girl looked down a bit and saw Bonnie and Tara holding hands, just like Kim and herself were, and then looked back into Bonnie's eyes. Before the brunette could say anything, Rebecca said, "Kim and I are going to the park to just walk around and spend some time together. Want to come with us?" It was hard to say who was more surprised: Kim or Bonnie.

"But I . . . I thought . . ."Bonnie struggled to say.

"That I hated you?" the ivory-toned girl asked, getting a nod in response. "Honestly, I never did." Now the brunette's jaw dropped, and Rebecca went on to explain. "I didn't trust you at first, because I knew what you were trying to do with my girlfriend at that time. And by 'at first' I mean when Kim started tutoring you. I was mad at Kim, when I walked in on the two of you That Day. But it never occurred to me to hate any _one_. I know you've been worried about how I was going to react to, and the fact that I always seemed to be looking at you in an unsettling way once Kim and I were back in school, but I didn't mean to make you feel like that." Rebecca looked down at her feet, and felt Kim squeeze her hand three times. She looked up at her girlfriend with a grateful smile on her face, then looked back at Bonnie and Tara before continuing. "I've been trying to figure out how I actually felt about you, and . . . and trying to heal things between me and Kim."

"And now you have?" Tara asked, since Bonnie was still tongue-tied in shock. Kim and Rebecca looked at each other.

"I think we have," the redhead replied, "though we're still working on being close again."

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said, coming out of her surprise and looking at the other two girls. "I just ignored everything but getting Kim. I . . . I had a crush on her since it seems like forever, and when I was finally honest with myself I just didn't care about anything but expressing myself to her." She took a deep breath and let it out, afraid but determined to go on. "It may have been Kim's choice to go with my advances and actions that day, but it was my fault she was in that position. I thought I was a better person, or at least better than I was before school started up again, but I guess I wasn't. Can . . ." Her voice caught in her throat, but she swallowed and went on. "Can either of you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive," Rebecca told her, letting go of her girlfriend's hand and pulling the brunette into a warm, friendly hug. Bonnie broke down and started crying into the other girl's shoulder, overcome by emotion; Kim and Tara smiled at the two. "Let's go to the park," the redhead suggested as the two new friends broke apart. Tara and Bonnie readily agreed, and the two couples headed to the park.

When they arrived, Tara silently admitted that Rebecca had had a good idea. The walk to the park from where they had all run into each other had given them all just the right amount of time to talk. Bonnie had explained that she'd ran straight to Tara after Kim had slapped _her_ and told her to leave. Tara then said that she'd helped Bonnie see what she'd done and come to terms with everything.

"Hey," Bonnie said, stopping just before they all would've walked into the park.

"What is it?" Kim asked, everyone looking at the brunette.

"Could we, um, meet back here?" she asked. "You know, wander around the park as separate couples and come back here?"

"We can do that," Tara said, smiling at her girlfriend.

"Maybe we can go to the mall afterwards, then," Rebecca suggested. "Look around, maybe grab some lunch at the food court?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kim concurred. The two couples exchanged hugs before going off on their own. Kim and Rebecca walked along in silence for a while, though it was a comfortable one. "You know," the redhead said, breaking the silence for a moment, "that was an amazing thing you did."

"What was?" the red/black-haired girl asked, looking at her girlfriend.

"Being so nice to Bonnie," was the answer. "Asking her and Tara to come with us, then suggesting all of us hanging out."

"You and I had worked out what was between us and moved past it," Rebecca said slowly, after thinking for a moment. "I realized a lot of things, too. Not just about us, but about her, too. She'd only just figured out that she was a lesbian, and that she'd been so much of a bitch to you because she was hiding from that and was also crushing hard on you. I could've been nicer to her, or even tried to help you tutor her. I'm not going to go all 'maybe' or 'what if,' since there's no point in rehashing something that's already been settled, but I can't help thinking that if I'd been there with the two of you then maybe she wouldn't have had a chance to make any moves on you." She smiled at Kim and squeezed her hand three times. "I didn't want to hold onto any more negative emotions, because that would only hurt me and might also have affected our healing relationship. So I just figured I'd actually give Bonnie – and myself – a chance to be friends."

"Like I said," Kim replied, grinning. "Amazing." Rebecca stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend, who returned the gesture. She'd just turned around when something slammed into her and knocked her flat on her ass and back. Kim had only had enough time to see a pink and white blur seemingly come out of nowhere before Rebecca's hand was yanked out of her own. Whirling around, she looked down and saw that her girlfriend had been tackled by a little girl who looked to be about 7 or 8.

"Rachel!" the redhead heard someone shout. Turning in that direction, she saw two women running towards them.

"I'm glad I've got super powers, kid," Rebecca groaned, sitting up and gently pushing the girl off of her. "Because that's gonna smart anyway."

"I'm sorry, Miss Rebecca," the little girl said, looking contrite. The ivory-toned teen chuckled and rubbed the girl's head.

"So who's this, 'Miss Rebecca?'" Kim asked teasingly. Her girlfriend blushed a light pink.

"This is Rachel," the red/black-haired girl said. "I met her in the park back on a particular day, and she helped me out."

"Oh, okay," the redhead said, acknowledging the other's veiled reference to That Day. The little was looking at her, so she decided to introduce herself. "I'm Rebecca's girlfriend, Kim Possible," she said, right as the two women reached them.

"You're Kim Possible?" one of them said, drawing the teen's attention.

"Sure am," Kim replied easily, smiling.

"I'm Amanda Teague," the raven-haired woman said, then gestured to the blond woman with her, who was helping Rebecca up off the ground. "This is my wife, Claire."

"It's nice to meet the two of you," the redhead said. She went and brushed off her girlfriend's back.

"Are you doing okay, Rebecca?" Claire asked.

"Yeah. It's not the first time I was knocked down, and it won't be the last," Rebecca said with a grin.

"I think she meant about the hospital thing a couple of months ago," Kim told her.

"Ooh, that," the ivory-toned girl said sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine now. I had a . . . rare blood condition that would have killed me, but I was able to get an emergency blood transfusion from my older sister."

"That's great to hear," the blond said, her relief obvious. She gestured at her daughter and said, "Rachel was so upset when the news reported you in the hospital."

"That would explain why your website said you two were unavailable," Amanda said to Kim.

"That _was_ one reason," Kim admitted. Her tone told the two women that there was more to the situation, but that it wasn't a good topic to talk about with Rachel around. But the redhead decided to explain, but obliquely. "Rebecca and I went through a tough time in our relationship, and spent some time apart – though it wasn't really by choice – and learned that we truly did love each other."

"Sounds like you two have everything worked out," the raven-haired woman said with a smile. Then she noticed Kim's necklace. "Miss Possible-"

"Call me Kim."

"-Kim, what is that?" Amanda pointed to the necklace. Both Kim and Rebecca blushed.

"Rebecca bought it for me," the redhead said shyly. "It was-"

"It was a way to start working things out between us," Rebecca finished. "We were . . . kind of in a bad spot, and I wanted to get something that I thought would express how sorry I was and how much I love her."

"So you're feeling better, Miss Rebecca?" Rachel asked, looking imploringly at the ivory-toned teen.

"I am indeed, Munchkin," she said. She pulled Kim closer to her. "We both are."

"We certainly didn't expect to run into you again," Claire told Rebecca. "Although I'm glad we did, because we got to meet your girlfriend this time, too."

"You two are actually lucky, you know," Amanda told them.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, her head tilting to one side (Rebecca always found that adorable).

"You both seem to have families that are very accepting and supportive of you, unless I'm guessing wrong?" the raven-haired woman said. Both Kim and Rebecca shook their heads. "Neither Claire nor I had that. My parents either believed I was 'just having a phase,' or that my blatant and obvious homosexuality didn't exist; Claire's parents kicked her out of the house and disowned her."

"And then my grandmother disowned them and altered her will to give everything to me," the blond added. "She didn't agree with my 'lifestyle choice,' but told me that it was _my_ choice and _my_ life so no one else had the right to tell me otherwise."

"Nana Possible is the same way," both girls replied simultaneously, making the other couple chuckle and their daughter giggle.

"Speaking of choices, would you two mind baby-sitting Rachel sometime?" Amanda asked. "Not this week, but in about a week and a half? We're going to be out of town for a few days, and right now no one we know is available to watch her for us."

"We'd be glad to," Rebecca told them. Kim was surprised by the acceptance, but easily agreed with her girlfriend. The redhead pulled out a small notebook and accepted a pen from Rebecca. She wrote something on a sheet of paper before tearing it out and handing it to Amanda.

"My kimmunicator number, and Rebecca's," the redhead said. "This way you can get in touch with us faster than by going through Team Possible's site."

"And it doesn't have to be just for baby-sitting," the ivory-toned girl added.

"Can they build a snowman with me, mama?" Rachel asked out of the blue. Everyone else chuckled about that announcement.

"When there's a lot more snow, and they're on their winter break, sweetie," Claire told the girl. "Right now we should be heading home so your cute little nose doesn't get too cold."

"I'm fine, mama," the little girl insisted.

"Actually, Munchkin, we've gotta be going ourselves," Rebecca told the little girl. "We're meeting our friends in a bit and we don't want to make them wait." After a few hugs and some goodbyes, the Teagues went on their way home while Kim and Rebecca continued to meander through the park.

"Can I still be shocked by what happened?" Bonnie asked Tara as they walked through the park.

"What do you mean?" the blond girl asked, a little confused.

"With Rebecca and Kim," the brunette replied. "I mean . . . I dunno what I mean. I just think that after what I did, after what I made happen, that they'd hate me. Or at least Rebecca would. But it's like they don't care that it happened."

"I don't think that's quite it, Bon-bon," her girlfriend told her.

"Huh?" came the confused response. "What do you mean?"

"It's not that they don't care," Tara explained, "it's that they've accepted that it happened and worked things out between themselves. They've moved past it. Sure, they'll never forget that it happened, and neither will you, but it doesn't have a hold on them anymore. If it did, I don't think they'd even be holding hands right now, much less stayed girlfriends. Rebecca is trying to get to know who you are now."

"But she never liked me," Bonnie replied, hope and despair warring within her.

"That's because she first met you back when you were . . . well, back when you were a real bitch," her girlfriend said, somewhat reluctantly. "You were still putting down Kim, and I'm sure that she was told all about your behavior. So when you started being nice and friendly, even though it was sincere, Rebecca still didn't really trust you. But things have changed now. She knows that you're change for the better is real."

"She still shouldn't like me after what I did."

"No one was really to blame in that. You shouldn't have hit on Kim since she was in a relationship, and Kim shouldn't have responded to your advances," Tara said, pulling the slightly taller brunette close to her. "But it happened, and everyone's moved on. Can't change the past, remember? So just accept that it happened, and accept that Kim _and_ Rebecca want to be friends with you now."

"Is it really that simple?" the brunette asked.

"Bonnie, you made a stand for yourself against your sisters and their desire to constantly demean you and put you down," her girlfriend answered. "Being a bitch took a lot of work, and never really made you happy. Now you can be _yourself_. And so far, it seems to be working since Rebecca and Kim have basically made themselves your friends. You have real friends now, Bon-bon. And you have me," she added, leaning in a bit to kiss the other girl on the lips.

As they had agreed, the two couples met at the same entrance to the park and proceeded to the mall where they just window shopped before heading to the food court for lunch and conversation. Bonnie was still nervous around Rebecca, but that slowly disappeared as they all talked. The ivory-toned girl actually told the other two girls the truth about what she was, and to say they were shocked would be like saying Antarctica is cold. It is true, but not accurate enough to convey the reality. Bonnie bit back an instinctive 'bitch response,' and thought about what she'd just been told; specifically, she thought about _how_ she'd been told. Rebecca had been nervous and hesitant, but also determined to tell them the truth. Looking at her now, the brunette could see that she was afraid. _Afraid of being rejected by me and Tara_ , Bonnie realized. Surprising herself, she reached across the small table they were all sitting at and grasped Rebecca's hand.

"It doesn't matter," she said, smiling. "So what if you're a clone of your sister? You two aren't the same person, even if she isn't a villain anymore. You are you. You're here, you're living the life you want . . . and you're my friend. So I don't care how you got here, just so long as you don't leave Kim." Kim smiled, feeling almost overwhelmed by Bonnie's declaration of support. Her former rival really _had_ changed, and it looked like she was happy with who she was becoming.

 _Classified Location, The Crate_

For the second time in his life, Agent Will Du of Global Justice found himself not liking his job. The first time had been about three weeks ago when he'd escorted Ron Stoppable to The Crate from the GJ maximum facility he'd been at once he'd recovered enough to be moved. He'd suffered quite a few severe injuries (and more moderate ones) at the hands of Rebecca Shaw. He had gone through interviews and interrogations – which had exempted himself from as he was the agent in charge of the case and needed to remain objective – for GJ to learn as much as possible about all that he'd done and why he'd done it. The core reasoning being that he had, quite simply, refused to accept the fact that the girl he loved didn't love him the same way and wanted to force her to do so. Teaming up with Monkey Fist elevated Ron to 'global threat' standards, since if the monkey-themed villain had succeeded in getting all of the Blessing of Sun Wukong nothing could have stopped him. After all of the interviews and interrogations, Will had studied the transcriptions as well as the reports by the agents conducting them. As the agent in charge of Ron Stoppable and his case, the final decision on the young man's fate was his and his alone. Doctor Director would overrule him if she needed to, but they both knew it wouldn't be necessary; even now, he was too by-the-book to not remain objective, though he did regret his natural inclination in this case.

This time, though, he didn't like his job because he now he had to conduct an interview with Ron and tell the young man precisely how long his sentence would be. He'd come to his decision, but had run it and his reasoning by Doctor Director before finalizing and filing it. His one-eyed boss had actually supported his decision, saying that it was the best option that would work with his conscience, his heart, and his sense of duty. Doctor Director had taken on the duty of informing the Stoppables about Ron's sentencing, not wanting to subject her top agent to such a thankless task. Now the young man was arriving at The Crate with a heavy heart. Any GJ aircraft that went to the facility had its communications equipment removed, as well as any externally-transmitting device. Whenever The Crate received a new prisoner, an initial schedule of authorized personnel and visiting periods was presented to the facility's warden. Any non-scheduled visit would be dealt with harshly; and ever since the incident that happened during Doctors Director and Shaw's visit months ago security had been heightened and every system now had quintuple redundancies as well as back-ups for those. It was also no secret to the staff at The Crate that Will Du had fallen for their newest prisoner – before he'd gone evil – and were actually sympathetic to the young agent. They knew that he wouldn't let his feelings interfere with his duty, and respected him for that.

Agent Miller was the warden of The Crate, and was waiting on the sole landing the facility possessed, along with four armed agents; those agents were a regulation requirement for escorting a VIP around The Crate. When Will stepped out of the V/STOL aircraft, Agent Miller stepped out to him and saluted.

"Welcome back to The Crate, sir," the white-haired young woman said with a pronounced lisp. The hair and the lisp, Will knew, came from an incident in the young woman's past involving bleach, a swimming pool, and (for reasons he didn't know) three D-cell batteries.

"I thank you for the welcome, Agent Miller," he said, shaking the woman's hand. "Although I'm sure you understand that I don't wish to be here."

"We all do, sir," Miller replied. "And not just because of the reason for your visit." Will nodded in response, though there was a barely perceptible slump to his shoulders. The escorting agents fell in front of and behind the two VIPs as Agent Miller led the way into the facility's hanger.

"Mister Stoppable has been taken to Briefing Room Seventeen, sir," she added.

"Why there?" he asked. "Would not one of the interrogation rooms have been standard procedure?"

"Considering the nature of your visit, procedure places the choice of a briefing room or interrogation room in the hands of the warden," she explained. "I believed that the briefing room would be psychologically more easing for this."

"You have another reason, of course," Will said.

"We all know of your relationship, such as it is, with Mister Stoppable," Miller said. "Some, of course, have questioned your position as his case officer because of that. However, your reputation as being entirely by-the-book as well as the integrity you possess reassures everyone that you won't allow your emotions to override your duty." She smiled at him, then. "Though it has baffled everyone how you could even have emotions in the first place."

Will smiled a little at the quip, as he's heard it often in his GJ career and was never offended by it. He asked, "You will, of course, be following standard procedure and record the meeting?"

"Of course," the woman agreed. "The microphone is built right into the table, and it is a regulation closed system so no one can alter the transcription in any way until it is printed out as a hard copy." Another GJ agent going the other way bumped into Will and seemed to dare him to do anything, but Will didn't react other than to raise an eyebrow at the man.

"Yeah, that guy's an asshole," Miller said to Will when he turned back around. "So's his cousin." She stopped as they reached BR-17. "He's right in here, and isn't restrained in any way. Surprisingly, in spite of being surrounded by assholes, he hasn't caused us any trouble."

"Do not underestimate him," Will reminded her. "He may be truly repenetant about his actions, and may not look like much, but he is one of only two people in the world that possesses the Mystical Monkey Power. I have not seen any evidence to contradict that, as he is able to fight in the Tai Sheng Pek Kwar style but has had no training in martial arts in any way." Receiving the warden's nod of acknowledgement, the black-haired agent entered into Briefing Room 17.

"Agent Du," the blond boy said.

"Ro-Mister Stoppable," Will said, catching himself. He set the folder he was carrying down on the table before sitting down himself. "If you would prefer, we could keep this informal."

"Must be bad news, then," Ron quipped, actually bringing a small smile to the agent's face.

"I wish it was better news, but you are correct," the other man replied, sighing. "Doctor Director has left all decisions regarding your final sentencing with me. That is, the exact length of your time here at The Crate."

"Aren't I supposed to be here forever?" the blond asked, but the agent shook his head.

"The only reason no one has left The Crate is because the only ones who are sent here are those that have threatened or are a threat to global safety, and usually have a variety of charges against them that result in multiple life sentences," Will explained. "To be honest, I am still surprised that I am still your case officer."

"This sounds weird coming from me after what I've done," Ron replied, "but I trust you, Will. I should've been like this with Kim, but your personal preferences don't matter to me. I still haven't made up my mind about myself, but I know that your desire to go by the book and to do what's fair according to the regulations will ensure that I get what I deserve."

"I appreciate that . . . Ron."

"So . . . how long will I be here?"

"It wasn't easy for me to arrive at this decision, both personally and professionally. While you were not planning for world conquest or anything similar, the . . . partner . . . you chose was been classed as a direct threat to the world itself, so at the very least you have been charged with an 'accessory to world endangerment' charge. In addition to the kidnapping and other charges." He looked Ron squarely in the eyes. "Your minimum time here will be five years. Five years of being around individuals who have been part of crime syndicates, terrorist organizations, and villainous plots to conquer or destroy the world. People who have had no qualms or hesitation about killing anyone. At this time, and for at least the first one to two years, you will not be granted a chance for a reduction of your sentence by whatever means the case officer – myself in your case – or the head of Global Justice decides."

"That's far better than what I deserve to get," Ron said. "And no contact with anyone outside, right?"

"Ron . . . The Crate was designed to be a black hole. As far as anyone outside of here or Global Justice is concerned, this facility doesn't exist," Will told him. "There are no external communications systems, no in-going/out-going devices of any sort, nothing that allows outside contact beyond the single hanger and landing platform. This information was explained, of course, when you first arrived here. As was the fact that only those individuals on a list of authorized personnel are allowed to come here, and only during scheduled times. The cell blocks are locked down during that time, as well."

"Do my parents know what happened to me?" he asked.

"They were only told, by Doctor Director, that your actions and who you allied with as necessitated your placement within a Global Justice 'super villain' prison facility," the black-haired man explained. "They were understandably furious about not being permitted contact with you, and are undoubtedly looking for ways to override Global Justice's authority in this matter. Unfortunately, our mandate is authorized by the United Nations Security Council, so unless the General Assembly passes a unanimous resolution nothing can be done."

"This seems really hard for you, Will," Ron said, a bit surprised.

"You know my feelings on this matter," Will replied. "I wish that I had better news for you, especially this close to the holiday season, but I don't."

"I appreciate that, Will," the blond said. "Just . . . let my parents know that I love them, okay? That's all I ask."

 _Middleton, Possible Residence (Christmas Eve)_

The rest of the month seemed to pass in kind of a wondrous blur. Kim, Rebecca, Bonnie, and Tara had seemed to become good friends with each other, and Kim and Rebecca were almost as close as they'd been before school had started back up. The week before Christmas had been spent doing Christmas shopping, an activity that Rebecca had thoroughly enjoyed even as she'd panicked about what to get everyone. She and Kim had kept their promise to Rachel, and had built a snowman with the little girl in the park after the snow had fallen to a good depth. The trio had then gotten into a snowball fight with another group of kids, which had had Amanda and Claire laughing. Jim and Tim had set off a rocket in the house one day, and it had gotten plasma-blasted by Rebecca; naturally, they'd tried to get revenge by attempting to steal the ivory-toned girl's towel after she'd gotten out of the shower. They'd only tried it that one time, though; though she'd gotten onto Rebecca for that, Ann was thankful that they boys had only suffered mild burns equivalent to a bad sunburn. Christmas Eve, though, found Rebecca and Kim sitting in her room just laying against each other, relaxing. Thanks to Rebecca's forthrightness near the beginning of the month, the two girls had no trouble anymore about dressing or undressing around each other. Of course, neither had been quite ready for the next level of intimacy, though both were determined to change that tonight.

"Things certainly have changed between us, haven't they?" Kim asked, seemingly out of the blue. Both of them had been lost in thought, thinking over everything that had happened since the summer ended.

"For the better, I think," Rebecca replied, hugging her girlfriend closer to her.

"How do you mean?" the redhead wanted to know.

"Don't get me wrong; That Day certainly wasn't good for either of us," the ivory-toned girl said. "But after that, I think things got better. Obviously they did, I mean."

"I know what you're saying, Bombshell, and I agree. It seems like we're even closer now than we were before."

"I'm scared, you know," Rebecca admitted.

"About us having sex again?" Kim asked, surprising her girlfriend with the blunt question.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I don't think I was this nervous our very first time."

"I know exactly what you mean," the redhead concurred. "It's that first step that's always the hardest, especially now that we know where it will take us." They were silent for a while before Rebecca broke it.

"I'm tired of being scared," she said. Somewhat contradicting the words she used, she slowly and gently pulled Kim even closer to her and kissed the redhead on the lips. Kim moaned at the gentle contact, returning the kiss with equal passion and gentleness. They didn't rush things, though, knowing that for this they needed to take their time. This time, it wasn't about a need, a desire, to express their love for each other physically; this time, it was about showing that the trust and faith they had had in each other before was restored, that they were ready to be that close again. Tonight wouldn't be about passion and need, but about love. Breaking off the kiss, they looked into the other's eyes, communicating without words. Rebecca slipped out of her maroon camisole while Kim pulled her green tanktop off. As the top came over her head, the redhead let out a low moan as she felt her girlfriend capture one of her nipples in her mouth. After tossing her shirt aside, Kim reached out and caressed Rebecca's pale back, enjoying the taut smoothness of the muscles underneath. Rebecca switched the other breast so it wouldn't be neglected, and brought up a hand to ensure that the first wasn't forgotten. The ivory-toned girl then slowly kissed her way up her girlfriend's chest to her neck, sucking at one of Kim's sensitive spots. Letting out another moan, the redhead brought her hands up and began playing with Rebecca's breasts, making the red/black-haired girl to give out her own moans. Then they switched as Kim made sure that her girlfriend wasn't neglected. After a while – time no longer had any meaning to them – they found themselves naked and pressed up against each other, hands down between manipulating the other's sex. It wasn't a fast act, either; they were taking their time pleasuring each other, wanting to draw out and maximize the passion that was building within them. Their sweat-slick bodies moved and bumped together, heightening the rising sensations. The wave of their first orgasm broke over both girls simultaneously, but it was merely a precursor to what would follow as without a word Rebecca changed her positioning so that she and Kim could taste the other. _It's been too long_ , they both thought as their tongues came into contact with the other's most intimate of places. The intensity of their first orgasm meant that it wasn't too long before the second (and then third) one hit. It wasn't easy, but Kim and Rebecca managed to keep their noise levels down; of course, that meant that they had to reduce the immediate intensity of their lovemaking but neither even thought of complaining as it served to prolong the experience.

And though it was Christmas Eve, both Rebecca and Kim felt that they had gotten the best Christmas gift ever: a return of the trust and deep love that they had had before.

 **E/N:** Sorry for the delay with this chapter; it took longer than I was thinking to do it. I would've gone on further, but this seemed like a good place to stop it.

Looks like Bonnie is now friends with Kim and Rebecca. Rebecca ran into the Teagues again, and Kim got to meet them for the first time. Ron will be in The Crate for a 'short' while, and it seems like there's a 'something' between him and Will. And it looks like Rebecca and Kim have finally passed the last hurdle between them.

So what happens on Christmas Day? How will Samantha and Ellen spend their first Christmas together since the events in Go City all those years ago? What are Betty and Isabella going to do? And why is Hego in Middleton during Middleton High's spring break? Find out the answers in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Team Possible Rides Again."


	25. Chapter 25

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kim Possible. This story is just for fun. The characters of Firefly/Rebecca Shaw, Isabella Shaw, and Robert Gibbs are OCs I created for this story.

 **A/N:** Sorry for the long delay; had computer issues that had to be taken of. Catherine Mary Time/Cat O Nine Tails was created by Sobriety and is used with his permission.

 **Kim Possible**

 **Red Flame**

 **Chapter 25 – Team Possible Rides Again**

 _Middleton, Possible Residence_

When Christmas morning dawned, Kim groaned as the sunlight streamed through her window and fell across her face. While she didn't want to get up because she was tired, it was a pleasant exhaustion and she felt lighter and better than she had in what seemed like forever. As awareness returned to the redhead, she became aware of a weight upon her. Opening her eyes, her gaze angled downward and she first noticed a red/black-haired head upon her breast. Her eyes followed the hair and head down to the curve of the neck and along the rest of the nude body; though that stopped when she saw the sheet across the two of them at the waist. _It's been far too long since we were like this_ , the young woman thought, smiling at her girlfriend and lover. She brought a hand over and began gently stroking the other girl's hair, loving the feel of it. Much to Kim's surprise, she heard a low purring sound. Startled, she stopped what she was doing and was surprised even more when it stopped. Puzzled, she waited a moment before she continued running her hand through Rebecca's hair and rubbing her finger's on her girlfriend's scalp. As soon as she did, though, the purring sound returned. Kim's eyes widened as she looher girlfriend. _She's . . . purring?_ Kim wondered. She stopped again, and the sound faded away. _She_ is _purring!_ A Shego-like smirk made its way onto the redhead's face as she contemplated this. Just then, though, there was a knocking sound on floor; actually, it was coming from the door built into the floor. Rebecca groaned as she woke up, stretching herself out like a cat; which was only fitting considering her earlier action.

"Are you girls up yet?" came the voice of Ann Possible.

"Just woke up, Mom," Kim called back. Rebecca sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking at Kim and smiling.

"You two do know that it's after nine, right?" Ann asked them. "Everyone else has already had breakfast and we're all waiting on the two of you now." Both girls looked at each other, looked over at the clock over on Kim's side of the bed, and felt their eyes widen as they saw that it actually was after nine. The redhead immediately jerked upright, or rather she tried to; she'd forgotten that her girlfriend was leaning over her still and her forehead slammed into the side of Rebecca's head. The ivory-toned girl let out a pained yelp and jerked backwards. But she moved too fast and hard and tumbled off the bed headfirst. Kim tried to grab her, but only moved fast enough to take a foot to the chin, causing her to jerk back herself; which, of course, made her tumble off the other side of the bed. Ann, of course, was still underneath the door to the girls' room and heard everything, and it was all she could do to not burst out in a fit of gut-busting laughter. Shaking her head at their antics, the elder Possible female made her way back downstairs. She was just glad that Rebecca and Kim had moved past everything.

When the two came down stairs a few minutes later, they found that everyone else was in the den waiting for them. Neither was sure what to do right now, until Ann motioned them towards the kitchen.

"Late night, you two?" she asked teasingly, making the two teens experience full body blushes. "Now go eat." Nodding, Kim and Rebecca went into the kitchen and ate breakfast, which they had to warm back up and consisted of pancakes, ham, eggs, and toast. It didn't take them long to eat, though, mainly because they were embarrassed about the comment Kim's mom had made. When they made their way back into the den, though, the two lovers found that Jim and Tim had organized the presents into piles for each person. Rebecca was actually surprised to see that she had a good pile of presents, and it showed on her face. Ann, of course, noticed the girl's expression.

"What's the matter, Rebecca?" she asked, drawing everyone else's attention to the girl. "I thought you and your mothers celebrated Christmas?"

"We did," the ivory-toned girl replied sheepishly. "It's just that, well, I've never gotten so many gifts before. Usually just a couple from both of my parents."

"Then you're in for a treat," Kim told her girlfriend, pulling her to the couch.

"Speaking of your parents," James said as his sons began gathering gifts to pass out, "will they be coming by?"

"I, um, don't know, sir," Rebecca mumbled, still looking embarrassed.

"It's alright," he reassured her. "How about after we get done unwrapping presents and tending to everything you give them a call and invite them to Christmas dinner here? Maybe even invite your sister and her girlfriend, too."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "Y-You all wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," Ann said with a gentle smile. "Christmas is about family, after all." Rebecca felt a warm glow suffuse her at that. She'd never really had a chance to spend Christmas with extended family members; no one outside of Global Justice had known she'd existed until about six months ago, give or take.

"Thanks," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes at the happiness and joy filling her. She looked down at the gift now in her hands; the tag said it was from Jim and Tim. She looked at the two boys and they smiled, giving her a thumbs up. Returning the smile, she carefully opens the present (by this point, she knew Kim's brothers way too well, and was treating the gift like a bomb disposal expert would a touchy bomb). She was surprised by what she found, though: a small pewter statue, in exquisite detail, of her and Kim sitting on a park bench, with her head resting on Kim's shoulder. The ivory-toned girl looked over at the twin boys with more tears in her eyes. The expresions on the faces of the statue Kim and Rebecca gave the impression of peace and love. She lifted it out of the box and showed everyone; Kim's face mimicked her girlfriend's.

"Thank you, guys," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"We may think-" Jim said.

"That Kim is a pain-"Tim continued.

"But she's never been happier than when she's with you," they finished together.

"So we thought-" Jim added.

"You two would like them," Tim finished.

"Them?" Kim asked. Her brothers pointed to a similar-sized present in Kim's pile, and the redhead went to open it; she hesitated until everyone else nodded before doing so. When she did, she couldn't hold back a gasp and she covered her mouth with a hand. The Tweebs had also given her an exquisitely detailed pewter statue, but it was of her and Rebecca walking and holding hands, their faces turned towards each other with smiles. Kim didn't know what to say, but the look she gave Jim and Tim said it all, anyway.

"Hicka-bicka-boo?" Jim asked.

"Hoo-sha!" Tim replied, and the two high-fived. Ann and James insisted that the two girls open their presents first, even as Jim and Tim ripped into their own. James had gotten his sons chemistry and rocket sets, Ann had gotten them model kits from a popular sci-fi show, and Kim had gotten them each a pair of multi-function shades courtesy of Wade; Rebecca hadn't known what to get Kim's brothers as she didn't really know them that well, so she'd used some GJ force field tech to give them some of her plasma. When they unwrapped them, she did warn them that tampering with the generator would automatically deactivate the force field and cause the plasma to explosively disperse. They actually promised to never to do anything like that, especially since they were still a bit nervous about getting some more plasma from Rebecca, but in a less-than-fun way. Then Kim and Rebecca proceeded to open the rest of their presents. Rebecca got an album filled with photos of her and Kim from Ann, a Rocket Booster membership and a custom red/black Rocket Booster shirt from James, the complete Underworld film collection from Jim and Tim (though Tim's name was first on this tag), and from Kim . . . she received a promise ring with a silver band set with a ruby and two obsidian stones along with a silver and black flame necklace with a ruby heart inset within the 'core' of the 'fire.' She looked over at her girlfriend, stunned beyond words.

"That ring," Kim said softly, "is a promise ring. It's to symbolize my promise, to you, to never, ever hurt you like I did before. I died inside when you left, and I know that I hurt you too much. I didn't deserve your forgiveness but you gave it to me anyway. I know that things won't always be easy and peaceful between us, but I promise that I will never betray you again. I love you, Rebecca." The ivory-toned girl didn't say anything as she looked down at the ring and slipped it onto her left hand; she did turn to let Kim put the necklace on her, and gave her girlfriend a somewhat chaste kiss on the lips when she was done, though. Smiling, Kim went to open her presents. Her mom had given her an all-day, full-treatment, all-expense-paid pass to an exclusive spa in Upperton; her dad had given her a custom Rocket Booster shirt, too, as well as a $200 gift card to Hot Topic; Jim and Tim (again, with Tim's name first on this tag) had given her a romantic-comedy movie collection; and then came Rebecca's gift to her. The first thing Kim saw wwas two pairs of platinum-bound earrings, one of sapphire studs and the other of amethyst studs. Then Kim saw the ring. It had a silver band with amethyst and sapphires in it.

"I guess we both had the same idea," Rebecca said as she watched Kim's eyes fill with tears. "That's my promise ring to you. I wasn't exactly the girlfriend you needed back then, and let my desire to prove the truth cloud my heart. I should've trusted you more, and shouldn't have just stood aside. I'm just as much at fault as you are for what happened. That ring is meant to remind you of my promise: that I will always be there for you, no matter what." Kim threw her arms around Rebecca and hugged the other girl even as she kissed her. As Ann and James opened their presents, the two girls looked at each other and had the same thought: _This is the best Christmas I've had so far._

After tending to the trash from unwrapping and opening the presents, Rebecca pulled out her kimmunicator and called up her parents.

"Merry Christmas!" she said cheerfully when they came on the screen.

 _"Merry Christmas, Firefly,"_ Isabella and Betty said at the same time, making their daughter giggle. _"How was it at the Possibles'?"_

"Amazing!" Rebecca said, then blushed at her excitement. "Kim's mom gave me an album with pictures of Kim and I, her dad made me a part of the club he runs at the space center, and her brothers gave me the Underworld movies and this amazing statue of Kim and I."

 _"And what did Kim get you?"_ Isabella asked. In response, Rebecca angled the kimmunicator to show of the necklace, then held up her hand. "It's a promise ring," the teen explained.

 _"I guess things are getting serious for you two, huh?"_ Betty asked.

"I don't know yet," her daughter replied. "I'm pretty sure things have always been serious for us, but this . . . I guess it really brings it home. This ring is supposed to remind the two of us that she's promised to be better than she was, that she won't betray me again. But I don't blame her for what happened. Not sure if I blamed her at all."

 _"Don't worry about it then, Firefly,"_ Isabella said. _"What's important is that you two are moving forward."_

"Thanks, Mom," the ivory-toned girl said. "Oh, um, Missus Possible said I could invite you two here for Christmas dinner. Are you going to come?"

 _"Hell yeah!"_ the raven-haired woman said.

"Isabella!" Betty admonished.

 _"What?"_ her wife asked, successfully pulling off an innocent look. Then she chuckled and spoke to their daughter. _"Of course we'll come, Firefly. Gotta pass out Christmas gifts, you know. We'll bring your sister and her girlfriend, too. I'm sure they've got at least you and Kim something."_

"I'll let Missus Possible know," Rebecca promised.

 _"Good,"_ Betty said. _"We'll be there in a couple of hours. We love you, Rebecca, and we're both glad things are great again between you and Kim."_

"Love you, Mom, Mommy," she replied, then disconnected.

"My mom always makes a lot of food," Kim said, coming up behind her girlfriend and wrapping her arms around the other girl's waist. "And she did say you could invite Samantha and Ellen." The redhead rested her chin on Rebecca's shoulder.

"I'm so glad we're okay now," the ivory-toned girl whispered, relaxing into the redhead's embrace.

"We're more than okay," she replied, and they shared a kiss when Rebecca turned her head. The super-powered teen couldn't help a flash of memory going through her head, one of catching Bonnie and Kim kissing, but it was gone before it could do more than appear before her mind's eye. Somehow, she could tell, could sense, that Kim had the same flash of memory, but neither girl let it stick on their minds. Both knew that what had happened would never be forgotten, and honestly neither wanted to forget it; they both felt that while they shouldn't dwell on it, they knew it was pivotal turning point in their lives. When they broke off the kiss, they were smiling at each other.

"Thank you for saving my life," Rebecca told her.

"Thank _you_ for being in mine," Kim replied. Just then, the kimmunicator went off and both girls answered.

"What's the sitch?" they said at the same time.

 _"Talk about a stereo effect,"_ Wade replied, grinning. _"We just got a hit on the site."_

"On Christmas?" Kim asked, confused. "I thought villains took the holidays off, too?"

 _"It's a new one, apparently. Calls herself Cat O Nine Tails."_

"After that whip thing?" Rebecca put in.

 _"Seems like it. And she actually uses a cat o nine tails. The hit came from the Middleton Museum where she still happens to be."_

"So what's she after-" the redhead began.

"-and do you have a ride for us?" the red/black-haired girl finished. Wade stared at the two of them for a moment.

 _"That was a little strange. I don't know what she's after, to be honest. Ride's on the way."_

"Please and thank you," Kim said.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Rebecca asked. "You know what the Joint Chiefs of Staff have for lunch; how can you _not_ know what this loony is after?"

 _"For the simple fact that, after examining and streaming the security footage, she just seems to be wandering around the museum and grabbing random items before walking to another exhibit and dropping what she grabbed for something new."_ He typed a few keys. _"Her real name is Catherine Mary Time. She was actually an independent consultant for museums across the world until a few years ago when Global Justice linked the disappearance of certain artifacts to museums she's consulted on."_

By this point, the two girls had changed into their mission gear (for Kim, it was her usual cargos and black midrif-baring shirt and for Rebecca it was a red hoodie and baggy black cargo shorts) since they'd both decided that their battle suits wouldn't be needed for this.

"What's her gimmick?" Kim asked as they headed out to the descending VTOL aircraft.

 _"Um . . . she dresses up as a pirate with cat ears and a cat tail."_

"Could be worse," the redhead said after a moment. "She could be wearing a plaid skirt."

"I tell ya, lassie, 'tis a kilt!" Rebecca said in an excellent mockery of Duff Killigan. As the two girls shared gut-busting laughter over that, the jet quickly made its way to the museum. It didn't stop as it passed over the museum; Team Possible just threw themselves out of the side door and used the retro packs that had been onboard the jet to brake their momentum.

"You know, I'm wondering something," Rebecca asked as they climbed into an air vent.

"What's that?" Kim asked, enjoying the view as she was following behind her girlfriend.

"First, stop looking at my ass," the ivory-toned girl quipped with a knowing smirk.

"Kinda hard not to look at it since it's right in my face," retorted the redhead.

"Second, why are there _always_ air vents big enough for people to crawl through in pretty much every building?" she asked.

"Not sure, to be honest," Kim admitted. "Not gonna complain, though." After that, it didn't take them long to find a vent that allowed them to stealthily drop into the museum. And surprisingly, not only was Cat O Nine Tails still in the museum, but she wandered into the room where the two girls had just appeared. The expression on the villainess's face was priceless: pure shock, as though she hadn't expected anyone to be in there (which, in all honesty, she hadn't).

"You know, the museum's actually closed on Christmas," Kim said with a smirk on her face.

"And they _do_ have the hours posted on the door, you know," Rebecca added. "Of course, that assumes you can read."

"Little girls shouldn't play in the big leagues," Cat replied, pulling out one of her whips.

"You know, she's right," the redhead said with exaggerated surprise.

"I guess you win the bet, Bubbles," the red/blackhead said with an obviously false pout. They looked at each other, then back at the villain. "So," Rebecca went on, "we'll give you a chance to surrender to the police who are probably arriving outside right now before we have to spank you."

"You've got a lot of nerve, kid," the woman growled, cracking her whip threateningly.

"Oh, puh-leeze!" Kim snorted. "You haven't seen her nerve yet."

"Hey!" Rebecca protested. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side!" The two girls turned to face each other, seemingly ignoring the villain, who was getting increasingly agitated with the two teens.

"Well, you've shown more nerve in the past than you're doing right now," the redhead accused.

"Why should I put out even my B-game for a C-grade villain?" her girlfriend retorted. "Especially one that dresses in _that_ kind of get up and obviously has a fetish for being whipped!"

"That's enough!" Cat shrieked, cracking her whip at the two girls. Who, much to her surprise, weren't there anymore. She had a moment to gape at where they'd been before she had her legs swept out from under her as another kick bounced her off the museum floor. Rebecca used the momentum from her sweep kick to spin back up to her feet, while Kim used the reaction from kicking Cat O Nine Tails to backflip onto her feet next to her girlfriend. The blonde villainess hit the floor a second time and skidded a few feet before getting stopped by the doorway she'd walked through a few minutes ago. Groaning, she picked herself up and attempted a menacing glare as her gaze fell upon her teenage adversaries.

"You're gonna pay for that," she growled, pulling yet another whip out of her long coat.

"Told you," Rebecca said. "Whip fetish." The neko pirate themed villainess charged at the duo, only to trip and hit the floor again as a foot had suddenly felt a lot hotter for just a second. She looked up at the heroes and watched as the ivory-toned one with the red and black shifting hair pulled a finger back to her lips and blew it like she was blowing away smoke from a gun.

"What the hell?" Cat O Nine Tails grumbled, getting back to her feet again. Rebecca ignited her fingertip again and aimed it at the older woman.

"Plasma powers, grandma," she taunted.

"I'm not old!" she shrieked.

"Oooh, looks like you hit a sore spot with her, Bombshell," Kim said. "Better apologize. You know women her age can get pretty cranky without much trouble."

"Stop it!" the villainess screamed. "I'm only thirty-seven!"

"Should I get her a walker or a wheelchair?" Rebecca asked, looking at Kim. Cat O Nine Tails screamed wordlessly and threw her whip to the floor. She stomped a foot, intending to holler at the two teenagers, but never got the chance; as soon as the whip hit the floor Kim ran at her, forcing the blonde woman to begin dodging and weaving in an attempt to avoid being hit. Of course, she had no idea the redhead was slowing herself down and intentionally missing, so the woman believed she was actually avoiding the hits. Kim's moves got the pirate-garbed woman to turn her back, and like a striking cobra Rebecca was right there behind the older woman. She put her widely spread thumb and forefinger around the woman's neck and, before she could react to the touch, sent a jolt of plasma between them. It wasn't a high-powered burst, and it only lasted a second; but that was enough to knock the villainess out. Without a sound, the woman collapsed to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Pick that up from your sister?" Kim asked as she pulled out her kimmunicator.

"Yep," Rebecca confirmed. "It's something I hadn't really thought about before, since my training was kinda meant to prepare me to take her down, and considering how good she is my rapid incapacitation skills weren't really touched on much."

"Hey, Wade," the redhead said. "You can send the police in."

 _"That was pretty fast,"_ the kid genius said.

"Yeah, well, this is one Cat that should've stayed in the bag," Kim replied, causing Rebecca to groan in seeming agony.

"That was the worst pun ever," she said. "Of all time," she added.

"Like you could've done better."

"I could have. And without even trying."

"Let's just go back home," the redhead grumbled.

Arriving back at the Possibles', the two headed up to Kim's room to get out of their mission clothes and take a shower (though out of respect for the fact that they were still teenagers and living in Kim's mom's house, they did so separately). By the time both girls were done, someone was knocking at the door. Ann had just gotten to the door and was opening it when her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend reached the bottom of the steps. She was happily surprised at who was now in her doorway.

"Samantha! Ellen!" the elder Possible female said with a bright smile. "So good to see you two again."

"Thanks, Missus Possible," Samantha replied, blushing a little.

"Call me 'Ann,'" was the response she got. The two younger women stepped into the house as Ann shut the door.

"Samantha!" Rebecca shouted upon catching sight of her older sister.

"Hey, kid," the pale-skinned woman said, grinning at her little sister. She had to put down the gifts she was holding to sweep the girl into a hug. She did the same to Kim after releasing her sister.

"Good to see you, too, Possible," Samantha said.

"Same here, Shego," the redhead replied, earning a pinch from the raven-haired woman. "Ow!"

"Samantha," Ellen admonished.

"Whatever," Samantha replied, rolling her eyes. "Hey, Bek, Mom and Mommy here yet?"

"No, they're still on their way, I think," Rebecca said. "But they should be here soon." She eyed the presents her sister was picking back up as she more carefully hugged her sister's girlfriend. "Can we open those now?"

"We'll wait 'til our parents get here," the pale-skinned woman stated, getting a pout in return. "I don't have to give you yours at all, you know."

"Oh, come on!" her sister whined.

"Nope," Samantha said, an evil smirk on her face. As she continued her attempts to cajole her sister into letting her open her presents, the group moved into the den. And in spite of the fact there were three martial artists in the room with hyper-spatial awareness, no one noticed anything amiss.

Standing on the street-side of the Possibles' lawn was a tall yet slender figure. Even though the outfit they were wearing was decidedly ambiguous, it wasn't hard to tell that the person was a woman. One who had seen quite a few years, or quite a few hardships; in her case, though, it was both. Her once flame red hair had faded to a somewhat burnt orange, and had white streaks running through it. Her face, though showing a few obvious lines, still had eyes bright with intelligence. She had her hands in her pockets, though the gloves she was wearing over them made it somewhat unnecessary. It hadn't been easy locating this place, especially since she had to remain under the radar; her primary gift had shown her what would happen if she moved too soon or too quick and was discovered. It wasn't yet time for her to reveal herself, yet she had to come see them. As she looked through the huge window into the den, she watched the happiness and joy unfolding before her and felt several different things. Joy of her own as everyone looked happy and content. Sorrow that she still had to be away from them, even though they didn't know she existed. Regret that she couldn't enter their world just yet. And so many others. A quick vision flashed across her mind's eye, telling her she needed to leave now or she'd be discovered.

"Too soon," she whispered to herself. Over the past decade and more, her voice had always been a comfort to her, and she'd gotten into the habit of speaking to herself. Doing so had actually kept others away from her, for which she was grateful. "As much as I want to both be with them and yet hold myself away for their safety, I'll be in this fight sooner than I originally foresaw. But if I don't prepare things now, then my intervention may cause certain unfortunate possibilities to have a greater percentage of occurring." Nodding to herself, she turned and began walking down the street. Since it _was_ Christmas, after all, people were home with their families; she couldn't risk using her second gift when there was a chance she'd been observed.

And by the time the Global Justice VTOL (Vertical Take-Off/Landing) jet carrying Betty and Isabella landed in front of the Possible house, the mysterious woman had vanished.

When Betty and Isabella walked into the Possible home, they were greeted by their daughters and their girlfriends. Kim and Ellen took the gifts the two women had brought, and carried them into the den to be placed with the ones Samantha and Ellen had brought, while Rebecca and Samantha hugged their moms. Ann called out for her husband and sons, and everyone gathered in the den to open the new presents. Though the Possibles (except for Kim) hadn't gotten their four guests any gifts, which wasn't an issue as Isabella had to insist when Ann guiltily brought it up, everyone had a good time. Jim and Tim got more science and chemistry stuff, Ann got some cooking and medical books, and James got subscriptions to a few rocket maganizes and journals. Rebecca eagerly opened the gift her sister had gotten her, and pulled out a custom full-coverage helmet that had been made to look like a wolf's head and was painted black with red accenting.

"This is totally b-awesome!" she exclaimed.

"'B-awesome?'" Ellen questioned.

"'Beyond awesome,'" Kim explained. Then she opened her gift and saw a similar helmet, though hers was white with blue accenting and was made to look like a cat's head; she had to echo her girlfriend's excitement.

"Motorcycle helmets, Samantha?" Ann asked skeptically.

"Not really," the pale-skinned woman replied. "Though they can be used for that. These helmets are capable of working with their battle suits, or without them. They can be used for the HALO drops Kimmie likes to do, and can even be sealed up for use underwater or in gas-filled death traps. They have the capability of separating the oxygen and hydrogen molecules in water to provide breathable air, though only up to a depth of fifty feet. There are hidden ports to hook SCUBA gear or other such gizmos directly to the helmets."

"Totally spankin'!" Kim squealed. The two happily opened up the gifts Rebecca's parents had gotten them. Kim got Cuddle Buddies from the two women: a koalaccoon and a limited edition mis-colored tiguin. Rebecca got a pair of Care Bears, which caused her to squeal like a little girl: the red-furred All My Heart Bear (which was a limited edition Valentine's Day release), and a very rare black-furred Spooky Fun Bear (which is an even rarer Halloween-edition Care Bear that hadn't been released as the character never appeared in any of the shows, new or old). Samantha rolled her eyes at the two teens, thinking that they were definitely too old for such silly things. Lastly, two girls opened up Ellen's gifts for them; Rebecca got a black-red scarf with a pair of black-palmed red gloves and a black-red cat-eared beanie, while Kim got a purple-black scarf with a pair of purple-palmed black gloves and a purple-black fox-eared beanie. And after everyone had put up their new gifts, the whole gathering enjoyed a very delicious Christmas dinner made mostly by Ann (no one trusted Kim in the kitchen after the time she'd actually managed to set a boiling pot of water on fire). And in spite of the usual bickering between the various siblings and girlfriends, it was probably the best Christmas any of them had ever had.

 _Middleton, The Park_

It was a few days after Christmas, and Rebecca was walking in the park with her sister. It was actually at the insistence of their respective girlfriends, who wanted the siblings to spend some time together over the winter break. Though neither of them would admit, both were actually grateful for the chance to spend some time together that didn't involve sparring; thanks to Samantha being a GJ agent and Rebecca having school to deal with as well as Team Possible missions, the siblings really didn't have all that much time to hang out with just each other. So they decided to take a walk through the park. The pale-skinned sister was clad in a pair of black slacks and a forest green turtleneck while the ivory-toned sister was wearing dark red capris and a 3/4-sleeve black hoodie; thanks to their higher than normal body temperatures, neither of them was really affected by any but the most extreme temperatures.

"I'm actually glad that villains respect at least the Christmas season," Rebecca commented after a while of comfortable silence.

"Are you kidding?" Samantha asked with a laugh. "Working during the Christmas season something _none_ of my former colleagues would even _think_ to do. Especially Drakken; he had this whole 'evil family' thing going on in his mind."

"This is actually my first Christmas outside of Global Justice's headquarters," her sister admitted. "I was supposed to be a 'secret project' to take you out since you had become evil, so I wasn't allowed out."

"At least things are different now," the older sister said.

"Yeah, but I can't help feeling that something isn't right," Rebecca said softly. "I can't say what, exactly, but I was getting a weird vibe from the place. And even now there's just a vague hint of . . . 'wrongness' in the air." She shook her head, attempting to clear away those thoughts. "So, um, Mom said I have brothers, too?"

"Yeah," Samantha grumbled. "Assholes at best. Well, except for Walter and Westley; they're our youngest brothers, and twins."

"Like Kim's brothers."

"Yeah. So in a way their power of duplication makes sense," the pale-skinned woman said. Then she looked thoughtful. "You know, I'm actually not sure if you're the same age as they are, or if you're older."

"Mom says I'm older, as far as physical age goes," the orange-eyed girl replied. "Chronologically, of course, I'm younger. And I have two other brothers, right?"

"Unfortunately," was the reluctant answer. "Mark is pretty much a self-absorbed prima donna. Or he was the last time I was around all of them. He also likes to think he's older than I am, even though I'm pretty much a year older than he is."

"Is he really that bad?" Rebecca asked.

"More or less. He seems to constantly need to be the center of attention, and – back when I was part of Team Go – he always tried to defend his ability to shrink as being absolutely essential to our success," Samantha replied, snorting. "I followed their 'career' for a few years after I left; they pretty much needed luck to save the day. Always went into action without an overall plan, not really working together; it's a wonder any of Go City's villains ended up in jail."

"So why did you leave?" came the question the older sibling was expecting. Samantha hung her head and sighed.

"Ellen," she replied softly.

"Your girlfriend?" her sister asked.

"Yeah," Samantha replied. "Back then, I still looked up to Hego – our older brother Harvey – even though I thought he was pretty much a jerk. I was a lesbian, and he was always wanting me to hide that. I was pretty easy to spot whether I was in normal clothes or not, so he didn't like it when I was out of Go Tower. And he believed that my homosexuality would reflect badly on the team and shit like that. I was actually dating Ellen; going to restuarants every now and then, or spending time in Go City Park. Somehow, I can't really remember how anymore, he managed to convince me to end my relationship with her in order to 'preserve the integrity of the team and its ability to protect Go City.' I was an idiot and listened to him; I may not have liked him or Mark, but I did have a soft spot for the twins and he used that against me. Of course, he and they could pass off as 'normal' people while Mark and I always stood out thanks to our skin tones. Anyways, when Ellen and I went on our next date, I broke things off with her. She didn't understand why, considering how close and involved we'd become. I didn't really, either, but I stupidly pushed forward with it and ended up hurting the both of us. The next time I saw her, she was Electronique. I didn't know how that'd happened, and still don't."

"You haven't asked?" Rebecca wondered.

"Don't really see a need to now," the pale-skinned woman replied. "Even if she hadn't had her powers forcibly ripped from herself, it wouldn't matter anymore. The how and the why no longer matter; we're back together, after all, and I honestly think we're closer now than we ever were."

"I hear adversity can do that," the ivory-toned girl said dryly, drawing a chuckle from her older sister. Before their conversation could go any further, though, they found their path blocked by a rather large and – to Samantha – familiar silhouette.

"Harvey," Samantha growled angrily, just barely keeping her hands from igniting with plasma. Rebecca didn't know him beyond what she'd been told, of course, but her sister's reaction and her own instincts were sending up a lot of warning signs with her. She subtley stepped off to the side a bit, leaving more room between her and her sister so they could both move if needed.

"Samantha," he said happily, wearing a big smile as if unaware of her tone and attitude. "Glad to see you're once again on the side of Truth and Justice." Somehow, Rebecca wasn't sure how, the man had managed to capitalize 'truth' and 'justice' in his speech.

"What the fuck do you want, Hego?" she snapped. He didn't respond to her question, if he'd even heard it, and turned to look at Rebecca.

"And you must be Samantha's clone," he stated, though it wasn't in a disdainful tone.

"I'm Rebecca Shaw," she said frostily. " _Samantha's_ sister." She made sure to emphasize that fact.

"And my sister as well," he seemed to remind her.

"Like bloody hell I am!" she protested. He frowned at her language.

"I see you're teaching our new sister some rather . . . distasteful habits," Harvey said disapprovingly.

"What the fuck do you want, Hego?!" Samantha snapped.

"I'm here on Father's behalf," he told her.

"He ain't _my_ father," she growled, angry that her ox of a brother still couldn't understand her feelings on that matter. She'd hated Robert Gibbs ever since, as a little girl, she'd figured out that he was the reason their mom had left.

"Of course he is," the black-haired man insisted. "And he's asked me to invite the two of you to Team Go – although you'd be coming back, Samantha."

"Look, Harvey," she replied, plasma beginning to flicker around her hands, "I told you when I left, and when I helped Kim Possible get you guys your powers back, that I am never coming back to Team Go."

"You also said you were evil, and obviously that is wrong," Harvey said, as if that proved that her desire to never return to the team was just as false.

"I'm still evil," she told him. "I'm just evil for the goody-goodies now."

"And I'm certain that our sister is most eager to join a team of _real_ super heroes," he boasted, looking towards the ivory-toned girl as if to hear her vindicate him.

"I've got a team, dumbass," Rebecca said. "I'm part of Team Possible, and I'm dating my teammate."

"That blond boy that is with Miss Possible?" he asked, confused.

"I'm going to ignore that disgusting implication," the orange-eyed girl replied. "No, I'm dating Kim Possible."

"But she's a girl," he said, confused.

"No shit?" Rebecca said, feigning shock. "I had no idea!" Samantha snorted at her sister's sarcasm, drawing a disapproving look from her older brother that was ignored.

"You can't date a girl," he said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it isn't right!" he insisted.

"I love her, she loves me. We'd do anything for each other. Seems right to me."

"And _I'm_ back with Ellen by the way," Samantha interjected.

"She's not only a woman, but evil, too!" Harvey replied, shocked.

"Nope. Well, to the evil part, anyway," his pale-skinned sister said. "Ellen doesn't have her powers anymore, and works for Global Justice now."

"I will not have my sisters exhibiting immoral behavior while on my team," he said.

"We're _not_ on your team, asshole," Samantha growled

"Father has asked that you rejoin the team, and that our sister join the team," he told them. "And he's said that if you did not join willingly, then I was to use these to make you." He held out his hand and in his hand was a pair of chips. _Mind control_ chips, if Samantha was any judge of things; and considering that Doctor Drakken had once been developing mind control technology, she definitely was a good judge of similar devices.

"You son of a bitch," she said softly, her anger now stoked to supernova levels.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Harvey replied. "Come back to the team on your own, give your immoral and wrong behavior, and we won't have to use these."

"We're not coming with you," Rebecca said, her hands already ignited with her red plasma. "I am not going to leave Kim. Ever."

"Then I'm sorry it has to be this way," he said, genuinely apologetic. And then he moved, faster than either of them had expected; even Samantha, who should've known better. As his hands grabbed onto the backs of their necks, adhering the mind control chips to them, Rebecca doused her plasma and reached a hand into her pocket, grabbing her kimmunicator and triggering its emergency alert a split second before she became locked inside her own body.

Kim was at home getting ready to head out to the park to meet the two sisters when her kimmunicator began blaring out an alarm she knew the meaning of but had never expected to ever hear. Quickly snatching up the blue-colored device, she cleared the screen and was looking at a grid-style GPS map with a furiously blinking red dot. Then the map vanished and was replaced by Wade.

 _"Kim,"_ he began.

"I know," she replied. "Rebecca's in serious trouble."

 _"She's moving out of Middleton Park,"_ he told her. _"I'm also tracking both Samantha's Global Justice tracker as well as the signature of her Glow. And . . . there's something else, Kim."_

"What is it, Wade?" she asked, feeling a sickening sensation in the pit of her stomach.

 _"There's another Glow signature there. And I'm not referring to Rebecca's."_

"Keep tracking them as long as you can, Wade, and let Betty and Isabella know what's going on," she told him.

 _"What will you be doing?"_ he asked, already on the job.

"I'm going to try to go after them myself," Kim replied. She set the kimmunicator down on her bed and walked over to her closet. Stripping herself down to her undergarments, she slipped into her battle suit. "I already lost Rebecca once," she went on, zipping up the suit and activating its form-fitting feature. "I gave her promise that I intend to keep."

 **E/N:** Sorry for the long delay in this chapter; as mentioned before, I had internet issues that prevented me from being online at all, plus I had a bit of writer's block. And Rebecca's love of Care Bears is a homage to StarvingLunatic's character of Jade in his Walking the Line series.

It looks like everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and Kim and Rebecca have made some major promises to each other as well as taking a major step forward in their relationship. But it appears a dark cloud is once again on the horizon as Hego appears with a dire agenda.

What is Robert Gibbs's plan, and why does he need Samantha and Rebecca? Will Kim make it in time to save her girlfriend and Samantha before the leave Middleton? And just who is that mystery woman that had been observing everyone? The answers might be revealed in the next chapter of Red Flame, "Hidden Agendas."


End file.
